DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors he will take into account when determining the future use of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle in Afghanistan after 2014. [R]

Mark Francois: We have yet to determine the precise nature and contribution of UK armed forces in Afghanistan post 2014, beyond our firm commitment to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy. Therefore, no decisions have yet been taken on the composition of our military capability, including the use of unmanned aircraft systems.

Armed Conflict

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparable assessment he has made of the average number of civilians killed in air strikes by drones and fixed wing strikes.

Mark Francois: No such assessment has been made as UK Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) are operated no differently from fixed wing aircraft. The Rules of Engagement which govern the use of conventional military aircraft equally apply to RPAS and any strikes, from any platform, are prosecuted in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict.

Armed Forces

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel there were in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The following table details the number of full-time trained and untrained armed forces personnel as of 1 April in each of the last three years.
	
		
			 Armed forces personnel 
			  All services 
			 1 April 2011 192,330 
			 1 April 2012 185,690 
			 1 April 2013 176,660 
		
	
	All services figures comprise all UK regular forces, Ghurkhas and all full-time reserve personnel.
	When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
	As at 1 July 2013 the number of full-time trained and untrained UK armed forces personnel was 173,980.
	The Department's Quarterly Personnel Report is available from the Defence Statistics website at the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/quarterly-personnel-report
	This provides more detail on the number of trained personnel, by service, gender and rank.

Army: Germany

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2013, Official Report, column 473W, on army: Germany, if he will provide further information on the expected positive effects on the local authorities in which (a) Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, (b) Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore and (c) Imjin Barracks, Gloucester are situated; and what formal work the Department has undertaken in this area.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has undertaken no formal work in this area. However, the increase of military numbers in these areas is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy.

Defence: Netherlands

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on pooling and sharing with NATO allies military platforms such as the Dutch joint logistic support ship which is to be sold as part of Dutch defence spending reductions; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: The UK actively participates in NATO Smart Defence and EU Pooling and Sharing initiatives as we seek to maximise resources and capabilities. We examine our participation in these projects on a case-by-case basis to establish if they would benefit the UK and offer value for money. I wrote to the hon. Member for York Central (Hugh Bayley) on 11 September 2013 to outline the extent of our current involvement; a copy of the letter is available in the Library of the House. The Dutch Government has recently confirmed it intends to operate its supply ship nationally as a replenishment tanker and to consider pooling and sharing arrangements for the ship with international partners. Should it become part of the Smart Defence and Pooling and Sharing initiatives we will examine our position accordingly.

Devonport Dockyard

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises supported by HMNB Devonport;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the contribution to the Plymouth economy of HMNB Devonport.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not maintain statistics on the extent to which individual defence sites support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or the impact of defence activities on local or regional economies. We recognise, however, that SMEs make a valuable contribution to defence, both as direct suppliers and as sub-contractors on major programmes. In addition, defence activities such as those undertaken at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport, and the adjacent dockyard, have a positive impact on the local and regional economies employing more than 4,500 naval service personnel.
	We are actively pursuing a number of measures to increase the opportunities for SMEs to contribute to defence and in 2012-13 some £1.1 billion was spent directly with some 12,000 SMEs. We have recently published details of expenditure with SMEs over the last three years, this is available at the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/finance-and-economics/MOD-contracting-with-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises/financial-year-2012-13

EU Institutions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many visits Ministers from his Department made to either the European Commission or the European Parliament in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many visits the Permanent Secretary and the four next most senior civil servants in his Department made to the European Commission in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: Since 2010 there has been one such visit by a Ministry of Defence (MOD) Minister. I spoke to members of the European Parliaments Sub-Committees on Security and Defence and Foreign Affairs during April 2013.
	There have been no visits to the European Commission by the Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary or the four next most senior civil servants from 2010 to date.
	While contact with the European Parliament and European Commission is infrequent the MOD is actively engaged on EU issues. Working through the UK Representation to the EU, MOD personnel are engaged in work relating to the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy on a daily basis. MOD Ministers, senior officials and senior military staff attend a number of EU meetings each year with MOD officials engaged on Common Security and Defence Policy matters on a permanent basis.

Germany

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 740W, on army: Germany, what additional expenditure his Department incurred in providing basing for these additional units at (a) Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, (b) Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore and (c) Imjin Barracks, Gloucester, by category of expenditure.

Andrew Murrison: It will take time to gather this information, I will write to the hon. Member.
	Substantive answer from Dr Murrison to Mr Kevan Jones:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question on 29 October 2013 (Official Report, column 449W) on additional expenditure incurred as part of the rebasing of the Army from Germany. The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Site Expenditure (£ millions) 
			 Dalton Barracks, Abingdon 4.6 
			 Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore 8 
			 Imjin Barracks, Gloucester 63 
		
	
	In addition the Department has leased additional housing for families based at Imjin Barracks at an annual cost of £2.5 million.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement on an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft Main Gate 4 decision.

Philip Dunne: A decision on Main Gate 4 for the Joint Strike Fighter programme is planned for the coming months.

Military Intelligence

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 34W, on military intelligence, for what reason Crossbow capability is only delivered from RAF Marham in Norfolk by personnel of the RAF Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing using RAF Tornados and not by UK unmanned aerial vehicle operations. [R]

Mark Francois: RAF Marham is the home base of the service's tactical air imagery analysis specialists and Crossbow has been located with the most appropriately qualified and experienced personnel. The Crossbow capability conducts near real time imagery analysis of Full Motion Video collected by a range of UK and USAF Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) assets.
	This corrects the answer given by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 34W.

Oil: Exploration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what representations his Department has made to the then Department of Energy on oil exploration in the Firth of Clyde in the 1980s;
	(2)  what records his Department holds on oil explorations in the Firth of Clyde in the 1980s.

Mark Francois: The Department does not hold any information relating to oil explorations in the firth of Clyde.

Serco

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has with Serco; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) length is of each such contract.

Philip Dunne: A list of the current contracts, which commenced prior to January 2011, that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its Trading Funds have with Serco is in the following table. Under longstanding convention, the list includes contracts with AWE, a Government Owned Contractor Operated company in which Serco have a third share. The list does not include contracts where Serco provides goods and services under subcontract to other defence suppliers. Contracts which commenced after January 2011 can be found on the contracts finder website:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	In some instances the contract end date is in the past. This could either be because outstanding payments are still to be made under the terms of the existing contract, or the contract has been extended and the database has not yet been updated to reflect this.
	
		
			 Contract Value (£) Start date End date 
			 Management and Operation Contract for AWE (Aldermaston)(1) 2,799,331,333 1 December 1999 30 November 2024 
			 Campus Integrator for the Defence Academy 473,076,500 10 February 2005 31 August 2028 
			 Prime Contract for Project Inspire 450,000,000 24 July 2006 31 March 2021 
			 Multi Engine Pilot Training at RAF Cranwell 163,458,885 1 April 2004 31 March 2014 
			 RAF High Wycombe and RAF Halton Multi-Activity Contract (MAC) 75,184,180 10 December 2009 31 March 2017 
			 Provision of Surface Finishing Services for the RAF 67,044,030 15 August 2008 31 March 2019 
			 Support Services for the Solid State Phased Array Radar at RAF Fylingdales 43,636,375 1 April 2004 31 March 2014 
			 RAF Brize Norton MAC 32,372,340 3 August 2010 30 September 2014 
			 MOD MAC 23,701,692 10 December 2007 31 December 2013 
			 The Procurement of a Windfarm Tolerant Long Range 3D Surveillance Radar for RRH Trimingham 18,132,190 30 March 2010 31 December 2018 
			 Provision of Multi-Activity Support Services at RAF Fylingdales, RAF Boulmer, RRH Buchan, RRH Neatishead, RRH Staxton Wold and RRS Swingate 16,919,240 17 February 2009 31 March 2014 
			 The Provision of Air Traffic Control Services at Wattisham Flying Station 10,575,939 1 April 2009 31 March 2014 
			 Glider Maintenance at RAF Syerston 9,400,034 3 February 2008 31 March 2015 
			 Support to Cover Future Development of General Purpose Suspension Test Set 8,507,795 26 August 2005 31 March 2014 
			 Underwater Targets 7,762,502 1 April 2009 31 January 2014 
			 The Provision of Civilian Technical Support for 7 Battalion REME at Wattisham 5,417,339 1 April 2007 31 March 2014 
			 Adaptive Port Area Training Support Service 3,291,194 31 March 2009 31 March 2014 
			 Semaphore Technical Hardware and Software 2,377,863 1 April 2006 30 June 2014 
			 Provision of General Purpose Suspension Equipment and Radio Frequency Filter Test Sets 1,250,000 11 December 2006 31 March 2014 
			 HMS Sultan Training Refresh 855,988 5 May 2010 20 February 2014 
			 Underwater Acoustic Calibration Service 532,000 1 December 2009 30 November 2014 
			 Secondments to Provide Specialist Technical Support(1) 526,246 17 March 2008 7 May 2014 
			 Technical Support to the Naval Shore Telecommunication System and Network Infrastructure 519,141 1 December 2010 31 March 2014 
			 Repair and Post Design Services for E190 Equipment 403,855 15 November 2004 31 March 2014 
			 SME Support(1) 149,591 19 May 2009 31 March 2018 
			 Maintenance of Communications Equipment 123,338 26 October 2009 25 October 2016 
			 IT and Telecommunications Technical Support Services 97,500 16 November 2010 30 November 2013 
			 Provision of Out of Hours GP Services at RNAS Culdrose 96,252 9 August 2010 31 October 2013 
			 Specialist Software Development Support 85,278 1 July 2010 31 February 2015 
			 (1 )Contract is with AWE and the contract value represents Serco's third share.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

Andrew Murrison: None. Engagement with the Scottish Government on issues where the reserved matter of defence touches devolved matters continue as normal and is not affected by the independence referendum or the debate around it.

World War II: Military Decorations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will commission a commemorative campaign medal for veterans of Dunkirk who were left behind by Operation Dynamo.

Anna Soubry: The nation owes a huge debt of gratitude to all those who served at Dunkirk, whether they were evacuated, were unable to reach or leave the beaches and became prisoners of war, or made the ultimate sacrifice.
	Medals recognising military service are awarded to those who have met the criteria for eligibility, and those veterans will have received the appropriate medals during or after World War Two. It is not the practice to commission commemorative campaign medals, although some commercial ventures have been undertaken on the understanding that the medals should not be worn along with official medals.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many direct employees and contracted workers of her Department and its arms lengths bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage; and how many direct employees are on zero hours contracts.

Theresa Villiers: No direct employees or contracted workers in my Department or its arm’s length bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage, and no direct employees are on zero hours contracts. All direct employees are on civil service pay scales.

EU Institutions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many visits Ministers from her Department made to either the European Commission or the European Parliament in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I met the Commissioner for Regional Policy and a number of MEPs during a trip to Brussels in April. There are no records of other Northern Ireland Office Ministers visiting the European Commission or the European Parliament between 2010 and 2013.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the possible financial implications of opting out of each of the police and criminal justice measures in the third pillar of the EU treaties; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: On 9 July 2013, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced to Parliament that the Government intended to exercise the UK's opt-out under the Lisbon treaty and seek to rejoin a package of 35 police and criminal justice measures which are in the UK's national interest, Official Report, columns 177-80. Following debates and votes in both Houses of Parliament the Prime Minister wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers on 24 July to provide formal notification that the Government has decided to exercise its right, provided for by article 10(4) of protocol 36 to the treaties, to opt out of all pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin. This will be done in good time ahead of the second vote on this matter and contain all relevant information.

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many visits the Permanent Secretary and the four next most senior civil servants in her Department made to the European Commission in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: No comprehensive records exist of such meetings. Two meetings between a senior civil servant and the Commission are known to have taken place in 2011 and 2012, and two senior civil servants accompanied me when I met the Commissioner for Regional Policy in April this year.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission spent on (a) salaries, (b) travel and (c) subsistence in each year since 2010.

Andrew Robathan: This information can be found in the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House or on the NIHRC website:
	www.nihrc.org

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Theresa Villiers: My Department has employed one new member of staff under a fixed-term contract since May 2010. This was for the period August 2011 to June 2012. No new staff have been employed under short-term contracts since May 2010.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Theresa Villiers: My Department has not used the facilities at Sunningdale Park since May 2010.

SCOTLAND

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

David Mundell: Since May 2010, the Scotland Office has employed four new staff on fixed-term contracts, and no new staff have been employed on short-term contracts. Three of the fixed-term contracts have since ended.

Sovereignty

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers have not held discussions with the Scottish Government regarding its White Paper on Independence.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not used Sunningdale Park for any civil service events since May 2010.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not operate or sponsor any (a) 0845, (b) 0844 or (c) 0843 numbers.

WALES

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Stephen Crabb: Since May 2010, the Wales Office has recruited (a) three staff on fixed-term contracts and (b) no one on a short-term contract.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 432W, on animal experiments, when she expects her Department's inspectors to complete the investigation into allegations of cruelty and bad practice at Imperial College, London, and to make recommendations; and if she will place in the Library the findings of that investigation.

James Brokenshire: Home Office inspectors have been investigating the allegations against Imperial College and we intend to publish a report later this year.
	My noble Friend, Lord Taylor has met with the Imperial College establishment licence holder and other relevant senior individuals to discuss the independent investigative report that they have commissioned and agreed to publish. They have provided strong assurances of a rigorous inquiry.
	It is imperative that lessons learned and broader issues for the wider community are taken from this incident. We have therefore requested the Government's independent expert advisory body, the Animals in Science Committee (ASC), to review both the inspectorate's report and Imperial College's independent report, when both are available, and to provide me with advice.
	The ASC report will also be made public. Copies will be placed in the House Library.

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to repeal section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

James Brokenshire: We are presently reviewing section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
	Central to our work on openness and transparency is the review we are undertaking of section 24 which provides for the protection of confidential information provided in connection with our regulatory activities under ASPA. A breach of section 24 can result in criminal sanctions. The requirements of section 24 are now out of step with our policy on openness and transparency and with the approach taken in other legislation, such as the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The solution we develop must improve the overall transparency surrounding research using animals while protecting personal identities and intellectual property and commercial competitiveness.

Asylum: Sexuality

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made in investigating claims that the UK Border Agency asked lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender asylum seekers to prove their sexuality.

Mark Harper: holding answer 8 November 2013
	Asylum applicants are afforded ample opportunity to establish the reasons they fear persecution, including where that fear is based on the grounds of their sexuality. Asylum decision makers are trained to make sensitive and appropriate enquiries to explore the sexual orientation of an applicant where that is relevant to a claim. But the Home Office does not require evidence of an explicit nature to support asylum claims based on sexual orientation.

COE Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her Department's publication Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011, what plans she has to take further action in order to ensure the UK is compliant with the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Norman Baker: The UK signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse in May 2008. An initial examination suggests that the UK is compliant with the vast majority of the Convention's articles, but there are a small number of articles which require further assessment before the UK is in a position to ratify the Convention. In addition to work on the Convention, the Government has set out a comprehensive programme to tackle sexual violence in the action plan of the Sexual Violence Against Children and Vulnerable People National Group.

Corruption

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which areas of policy relating to corruption and bribery (a) she and (b) the UK Anti-Corruption Champion will have responsibility.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 24 October 2013
	The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 7 October, made it clear that the Home Office will take on a new lead role in co-ordinating all domestic bribery and corruption policy. Ministerial responsibilities remain unchanged.

Corruption

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will share joint responsibility for all aspects of domestic anti-corruption efforts with the UK's Anti-Corruption Champion.

James Brokenshire: The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 7 October, made it clear that the Home Office will take on a new lead role in co-ordinating all domestic bribery and corruption policy. Ministerial responsibilities remain unchanged.

Criminal Investigation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many employees of her Department under criminal investigation are suspended on full pay; and what the pay bands are of the employees suspended;
	(2)  what the grounds are for the criminal investigation awaiting proceedings against nine employees of her Department.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 8 October 2013
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department expects the highest levels of integrity and professionalism from Home Department staff. We can confirm there are various individual grounds for the criminal investigations, but as these are on-going investigations it would not be appropriate to comment further while criminal investigations are continuing.
	In cases of alleged serious or gross misconduct; or where a risk is posed to others or property; or an ongoing investigation; or it is otherwise in the public interest to do so, a period of suspension would be considered based on the facts of the individual case. As a precautionary suspension in itself is not a form of misconduct sanction, generally staff are suspended on full pay.
	We would not comment specifically on pay bands of those suspended as this could lead to individuals being identified who are the subject of on-going investigations.

Drugs: Misuse

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the amount of legal highs in each region of the UK.

Norman Baker: No estimate has been made of the amount in each region of the UK of legal highs containing new psychoactive substances which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
	However, both the Government and our independent drug experts, the Advisory Council in the Misuse of Drugs, continue to monitor the emergence of new psychoactive substances (a broader term which includes both legal and illegal emerging drugs) through UK and EU drugs early warning systems. These include the Home Office's Forensic Early Warning System which identifies and monitors emerging such substances (controlled and non-controlled) in the UK.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there has been a delay in publication of an evaluation framework for the national drugs strategy; and what the nature of any such delay is.

Norman Baker: holding answer 29 October 2013
	The publication of the Drug Strategy Evaluation Framework has been delayed to enable publication alongside the second Annual Review. This will provide an overall update on progress towards delivering the 2010 Drug Strategy. Both the Evaluation Framework and Annual Review will be published shortly.

Drugs: Misuse

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of head shops selling legal highs in (a) the UK and (b) each local authority area;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the total value of legal highs sold in the UK (a) by head shops, (b) online and (c) by other outlets.

Norman Baker: holding answer 29 October 2013
	It is difficult to make an accurate estimate of the total value of 'legal highs' given the fast-changing market and the fact that a good proportion of so-called legal highs actually contain controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Tackling the dangers arising from new psychoactive substances is a high priority for the Department.

Drugs: Misuse

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries import the largest volume of legal highs to the UK; and what recent discussions she has had with law enforcement bodies of those nations on preventing such imports.

Norman Baker: holding answer 31 October 2013
	The Home Office assesses China to be one of the most significant importers of legal highs (containing new psychoactive substances which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971) to the UK. This assessment is referenced in the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 7 October 2013, copies of which are available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/serious-organised-crime-strategy
	and in the Library of the House.
	The most recent engagement on the issue with Chinese law enforcement was conducted through the UK/China Annual Working Conference on organised crime which was held on 14-15 October 2013. UK officials were able to meet with senior Chinese officials from the Ministry of Public Security to discuss working with multinational institutions, exchanging information on supply routes and sharing progress on demand reduction.

Emigration

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will record numbers of those people leaving the UK.

Mark Harper: holding answer 8 November 2013
	The Government has made a commitment to introduce exit checks by 2015.
	Using advance passenger information, we already conduct electronic checks on a substantial number of people who leave the UK.
	We are exploring how best to make this coverage more comprehensive.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the visa requirements are for foreign students coming to the UK to study for longer than six months; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government has overhauled the student visa route with a package of measures designed to tackle abuse of the route while continuing to attract the brightest and best students to our world-class universities. International students coming to the UK to study for longer than six months require a visa under Tier 4 of the Points Based System. Tier 4 requirements are set out in detail in Part 6A of the Immigration Rules which can be found at:
	www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/immigrationlaw/immigrationrules/
	A copy is available in the Library of the House.
	Our reforms have resulted in the total number of Tier 4 visas issued falling by a third since 2010, while visa applications from university students continue to increase.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the UK will remove the conditions of Statutory Instrument 2001, No. 3948 establishing the National Analysis Centres, assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by Council Decision 2001/887/JHA under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties;
	(2)  how many reports were made to Europol by UK authorities under the requirements of Council Decision 2001/887/JHA in each of the last five years; and what the cost was to UK public funds of such reporting in each of the last five years;
	(3)  whether the Government intends to continue to report analyses of suspected counterfeit euros and information on investigations into euro counterfeiting to Europol, assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by Council Decision 2001/887/JHA under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and whether this reporting will continue to be possible.

James Brokenshire: Following consideration, the Government will not remove any of the conditions of Statutory Instrument 2001, No.3948.
	The UK continues to communicate details of currency seizures to Europol in line with current practices. Data on the number of reports made and the cost of making them are not held centrally.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the Government intends to retain without change existing provisions of UK law and practice required by Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/ JHA, if the UK ceases to be bound by those Decisions pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties;
	(2)  which provisions of UK law and practice implement requirements of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA;
	(3)  whether the Government intends to retain unchanged the co-operation and information exchange with other EU member states established by Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by those Decisions pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; if so, how such co-operation and information exchange would be maintained; and what assessment she has made of whether this would be at least as efficacious as UK participation in those Decisions;
	(4)  whether the UK currently implements all the requirements of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA; and if not (a) which requirements it does not currently implement, (b) what she estimates the cost to UK public funds would be of implementing these requirements and (c) whether the Government intends to implement these requirements if the UK ceases to be bound by Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties.

James Brokenshire: UK law has not been changed to implement the provisions of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA.
	The UK has not implemented Chapter 2 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA were implemented through administrative means. No changes to practice were required to do so.
	We believe that, via existing Data Protection legislation and guidance, the UK meets the requirements of Chapter 6 of 2009/315/JHA. However the UK has not yet been evaluated on whether we meet the requirements as required under Article 25(2).
	In 2007, the costs of fully implementing all provisions of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA were assessed to be £31 million. No individual assessment of implementing Chapter 2 of 2008/615/JHA is available.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been in each of the last five years of (a) all co-operation and information exchange resulting from Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA and (b) preparation for and initial implementation of these Decisions.

James Brokenshire: No costs have been incurred to the public purse as a result of co-operation and information under Council Decision 2008/615/JHA and Council Decision 2008/616/JHA.
	In excess of £900,000 has been incurred to the public purse assessing the steps required to implement fully these decisions. It is not possible to provide costs for each of the last five years.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse has been of UK participation in Council Decision 2009/902/JHA in each of the last four years;
	(2)  what measures (a) the EU, (b) other EU member states and (c) the UK has taken in their efforts to prevent crime in each of the last four years as a result of UK participation in Council Decision 2009/902/JHA;
	(3)  whether the Government would seek to continue co-operation and information exchange with the EU and other EU member states that was the same in content as that facilitated by Council Decision 2009/902/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by that Council Decision pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions Annexed to the EU treaties; how this co-operation and information exchange would then be conducted; and what assessment she has made of whether this would be at least as efficacious as UK participation in the Council Decision;
	(4)  whether the UK would co-operate with the European Crime Prevention Network under Article 8 of Council Decision 2009/902/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by that Council Decision pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties.

James Brokenshire: The costs incurred to the public purse in each of the last four years for UK participation in Council Decision 2009/902/JHA are minimal. These relate to the development and running costs of the EUCPN website and UK attendance at board meetings.
	The role of the network established by Council Decision 2009/902/JHA is to promote the sharing of best practice on the prevention of crime. The Government is not, however, aware of any specific measures that the EU or other EU member states have taken to prevent crime as a result of UK participation in the Council Decision in the last four years. We are also not aware of any specific measures that have been taken in the UK as a result of this.
	The Government could continue co-operation and information exchange with the EU and other member states in the crime prevention field if required. The Government believes that alternatives will be at least as efficacious as the existing practice mandated by the Council Decision.
	The Government will continue co-operating with EU partners to share best practice on the prevention of crime but this does not need to occur under the European Crime Prevention Network heading. Article 8 provides that the network may co-operate with other entities competent in the field of crime prevention where it is relevant to meeting its objectives. The UK will cease to be a member of the network on 1 December 2014 and thereafter will have no role in decisions on future co-operation.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse has been in each of the last five years of UK compliance with Council Decision 2008/852/JHA;
	(2)  what measures (a) the EU, (b) other EU member states and (c) the UK have taken to prevent and combat corruption in each of the last five years as a result of UK participation in Council Decision 2008/852/JHA; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of such measures in preventing and combating corruption;
	(3)  how many times in the last five years, as a result of Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/852/JHA, representatives of UK authorities have met other members of the network established by that Council Decision; and what the outcome of each such meeting has been;
	(4)  whether the Government would seek to continue co-operation and information exchange with other EU member states and EU bodies that was the same in content as that which currently occurs as a result of Council Decision 2008/852/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by that Decision pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; how this co-operation and information exchange would then be conducted; and what assessment she has made of whether this would be at least as efficacious as UK participation in the Council Decision.

James Brokenshire: Figures for the cost of UK compliance with Council Decision 2008/852/JHA are not held centrally.
	The Government is not in a position to state what measures the EU or other EU member states have taken to prevent and combat corruption as a result of UK participation in the Council Decision. The Government recently published its Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, which set out a range of activity it is taking to strengthen the policy and operational response to corruption.
	Article 3(2) of the Decision states that “the members of the network shall, for the accomplishment of their tasks, meet at least once a year”. Information on how many times in the last five years representatives of UK authorities have met other members of the network established by Council Decision 2008/852/JHA, and the outcome of those meetings, is not held centrally.
	The Government is committed to co-operating with EU partners to share best practice on combating corruption, but this need not occur under the heading of the “network against corruption”. The Government could continue co-operation and information exchange with the EU and other member states to combat corruption through the National Crime Agency and other agencies if required. The Government believes that alternatives will be at least as efficacious as the existing practice mandated by the Council Decision.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the possible financial implications of opting out of each of the police and criminal justice measures in the third pillar of the EU treaties; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: On 9 July 2013 the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) announced to Parliament that the Government intended to exercise the UK's opt-out under the Lisbon treaty and seek to rejoin a package of 35 police and criminal justice measures which are in the UK's national interest. Following debates and votes in both Houses of Parliament the Prime Minister wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers on 24 July 2013 to provide formal notification that the Government has decided to exercise its right, provided for by Article 10(4) of Protocol 36 to the Treaties, to opt out of all pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has committed to providing Parliament with an Impact Assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish her Department's cost-benefit analysis of opting back into European Commission Decision 2009/724/JHA of 17 September 2009; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 4 November 2013
	Commission Decision 2009/724/JHA is a measure subject to the UK's 2014 JHA Opt-out decision. This measure is not included in the set of 35 measures that the Government has announced that it will seek to rejoin.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) has committed to providing Parliament with an Impact Assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin.

EU Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of nationals in countries with no current freedom of labour rights to work in the UK who also have joint Romanian and Bulgarian citizenship.

Mark Harper: The Home Office has made no estimate of the number of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens who also hold the nationality of a country whose nationals are subject to immigration control.

Football: EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish her Department's analysis of the costs and benefits of European Council Decision 2002/348/JHA of 25 April 2002, concerning security in connection with football matches with an international dimension; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Council Decision 2002/348/JHA is a measure subject to the UK's 2014 JHA Opt-out decision. This measure is included in the set of 35 measures that the Government has announced that it will seek to rejoin in the national interest.
	The Home Secretary has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice she has given to organisations who receive money from her Department to provide care for victims of trafficking about how they can contribute to the Government's proposed draft modern slavery bill.

James Brokenshire: The Salvation Army and its sub-contractors have been encouraged to contribute to the evidence sessions, being led by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field), on development of the Modern Slavery Bill.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that organisations currently being paid by the Government to provide services to victims of human trafficking will be free to comment on current provisions and policies as part of the consultation on draft legislation on modern-day slavery without prejudice to their future contractual relationship with the Government.

James Brokenshire: The Salvation Army and its sub-contractors have been encouraged to contribute to the evidence sessions, being led by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field), on the development of the Modern Slavery Bill.
	Participation in this activity and opinions expressed will have no bearing on their future relationship with Government.

Illegal Immigrants

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the number of illegal immigrants currently in the UK.

Mark Harper: holding answer 8 November 2013
	It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of immigration offenders in the UK as by their very nature those that deliberately evade immigration control to enter and stay in the country illegally are not officially recorded until they come to light and are arrested.

Immigration

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Romanian and Bulgarian nationals who choose to live in the UK have the means to support themselves and their families.

Mark Harper: Any EU national who wishes to reside in the UK for longer than three months must be exercising treaty rights as a worker, or self-employed person, a self-sufficient person or a student.
	Those EU nationals who are not working in the UK, but who come here to study or in a self-sufficient capacity, are required to have comprehensive health insurance and sufficient resources to ensure that they do not to become a burden on the UK social assistance system.
	An EU national's right to reside in the UK is conditional upon continuing to meet these requirements. The Home Office will undertake checks to ensure the requirements remain satisfied with each application for residence documentation.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter dated 2 September 2013 to the Minister for Immigration from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs Munkhtuya Sukhbaata.

Mark Harper: My noble Friend, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Minister for Criminal Information, replied on my behalf on 14 October 2013.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials at what grades are employed to provide direct support to special advisers in her Department.

James Brokenshire: Two officials work directly to the special advisers in administrative or middle-management roles. At the time of the last general election, three officials provided support to the then special advisers.

National Crime Agency

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many (a) National Crime Agency (NCA) officers and (b) NCA specials are designated with the power of (i) constable, (ii) immigration officer and (iii) customs officer;
	(2)  how many employees there are at the National Crime Agency;
	(3)  how many National Crime Agency specials there are; and how many are planned to be recruited.

James Brokenshire: So far over 2,000 National Crime Agency (NCA) officers have been designated with one or more powers of a constable, a customs officer and/or an immigration officer. No NCA specials have been designated with the powers of a constable. NCA specials cannot be designated with customs or immigration powers.
	Not all NCA officers will require operational powers, a number of the NCA's vital crime-fighting functions are appropriately carried out by officers without specific powers, for example intelligence functions.
	4,437 officers transferred into the NCA.
	So far 10 NCA specials have been recruited. There is no fixed number of specials that are planned to be recruited.

National Crime Agency

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish details of the expected format and regularity of reporting on bribery and corruption that will be undertaken by the new National Crime Agency as detailed in the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy; and when the first report is expected.

James Brokenshire: The process and format of this reporting is currently being designed by the National Crime Agency. Further details will be available in due course.

Offences against Children

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service on his Department's Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011.

Norman Baker: The Department for Education published progress reports in July 2012 and in November 2012, setting out the progress made by all agencies, including the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Home Office assumed responsibility for leading the response to child sexual exploitation in April 2013. The National Policing lead has developed a further plan of action for the police to tackle child sexual exploitation which sets out measures all forces need to take to effectively tackle this issue. This plan has been published on the Association of Chief Police Officers website. The College of Policing and the Director of Private Prosecutions launched a public consultation on revised guidance for sexual violence victims on 11 June which ran until September. The new guidance is designed to ensure that victims are listened to, and that consideration by the police and others should focus on the credibility of the allegation, rather than the credibility of the victim.
	We have improved the experience of victims in the criminal justice system by launching a new criminal justice strategy and action plan including significant measures to improve the court process for victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. This follows the announcement on 11 June to pilot measures for recorded pre-trial cross-examination of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.

Overseas Visitors: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals of each EU nationality who have previously been served with an anti-social behaviour order within the UK have been refused entry to the UK in each year since 2010.

Mark Harper: holding answer 201314 October
	The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Overseas Visitors: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of (a) Romanian, (b) Bulgarian, (c) Polish and (d) Lithuanian nationals who enter the UK by air and leave within 24 hours of arrival; what proportion of such people commit criminal offences while in the UK; and what security checks are in place at airports to prevent foreign nationals from entering the UK for this purpose.

Mark Harper: holding answer 14 October 2013
	The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has employed 745 new staff on fixed term/short term contracts since May 2010.

Schengen Agreement

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost to UK public funds has been in each of the last five years of UK participation in SCH/Com-ex (99)6 on the Schengen acquis relating to telecommunications;
	(2)  whether she intends that actions required of the UK by SCH/Com-ex (99)6 will continue to be carried out, in the same way, if the UK ceases to be bound by that measure pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of how co-operation with other EU member states will be affected if the UK ceases to be bound by SCH/Com-ex (99)6 on the Schengen acquis relating to telecommunications pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has incurred no costs in relation to this instrument over the last five years.
	This instrument is purely technical and aims to achieve greater interoperability of EU communications systems. The UK Emergency Services use Tetra, a technology standard available across Europe. There are no operational benefits to the UK remaining bound.
	Co-operation with other EU member states will be unaffected.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department has not held any civil service events at Sunningdale Park since May 2010.

Terrorism Act 2000

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the National Security Council has discussed the use of Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 (a) between May 2010 and July 2013 and (b) since July 2013.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 25 October 2013
	The National Security Council regularly considers terrorism and counter-terrorism matters. We do not comment publicly on the details.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions her Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential effects on countering terrorism in Northern Ireland of disclosures of classified material in newspapers.

James Brokenshire: To date there have been no such discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Theft: Motor Vehicles

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give consideration to utilising the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to compensate victims of vehicle theft for recovery charges they incur.

James Brokenshire: Under section 130 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, a court may award compensation to the victim for each offence of which the offender was convicted. Payment of the compensation order is made first from any criminal profits collected under a confiscation order made under the Proceed of Crime Act 2002.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the monthly costs of running HM Prison the Verne as an immigration removal centre; and what the detention capacity of HM Prison the Verne will be after it is converted into an immigration removal centre.

Mark Harper: An annual resourcing cost of £15.76 million has been agreed with the Ministry of Justice to run The Verne as an immigration removal centre with capacity for 580 male detainees.

Visits Abroad

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, her Department made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

James Brokenshire: The information on the number of overseas trips and the total cost of the trips made by the Department in each year since 2010 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Charities

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to make it easier for small, UK-based development charities to obtain support and match funding for their work.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID's Global Poverty Action Fund, a central fund for civil society, ring-fences £4 million per year for small, UK based charities (with income of under £1 million per annum). Small charities get help applying for funds. The recently extended UK Aid Match programme, which match-funds public donations to selected charity appeals now has a proportion of funds ring-fenced for smaller organisations. We expect that some 50% of all UK Aid Match grants over the three year scheme will go to smaller charities.

EU Immigration

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had about increasing EU support for refugees from North Africa and Syria arriving in Italy and Malta.

Mark Harper: holding answer 4 November 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Government continues to have regular discussions with our EU partners in order to ensure that all member states operate effective asylum and border management systems. This includes the UK's participation in the new EU Task Force established following the recent deaths off Lampedusa.
	We strongly support practical co-operation initiatives to build capacity of the member states who may be under particular migration pressures or have other support needs and see the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) as the key agency for co-ordinating and delivering this support.
	In June 2013, EASO signed a special support plan with Italy which provides for assistance in a number of priority areas including operation of the ‘Dublin’ system for determining the member state responsible for considering an asylum claim, reception arrangements and the development of emergency capacity. The plan runs until the end of 2014. Should Malta make a similar request, we will encourage EASO to respond positively.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: DFID has employed 109 staff on Home Civil Service (HCS) fixed term contracts since May 2010.
	DFID has also engaged 112 people on DFID's professional training programme Direct Entry Scheme for Advisers (DESA) and DFID Graduate scheme during the same period. They are engaged on limited term contracts. There were no other types of Short Term Contracts issued.

Sudan

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian consequences of government air strikes in Sudan's Darfur region in the last 12 months.

Lynne Featherstone: The increasingly complex security situation on Darfur has seen humanitarian needs continue to grow. The United Nations estimate over 400,000 Darfuris have been displaced this year—more than the last two years combined. We continue to provide life-saving support to those in need.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost was of each such event.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not used Sunningdale Park to deliver any central DFID learning and development events or training courses since May 2013. It is possible that DFID staff may have attended externally hosted training courses or meetings there, but our systems do not allow us to identify training events or meetings by venue, and DFID is not aware of any such events.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to ensure energy companies remove the financial penalties incurred by customers locked into fixed-term contracts seeking to switch before their contracts expire.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem has recently completed a thorough review of the retail energy market and introduced reforms so consumers face simpler tariff choices, receive clearer information and are treated fairly.
	Under Ofgem's new rules suppliers will have to include key information about tariffs in a tariff information label, which will include any termination fee that suppliers charge on fixed term contracts. The tariff information label will appear on customers' bills and annual statements and marketing material about the tariff. Clearer information on termination fees will allow consumers to take them into account when they are considering switching.

Energy: Billing

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number of people who pay their energy bills by direct debit in each (a) region and (b) constituent part of the UK.

Michael Fallon: The Department runs a quarterly survey known as the Domestic Fuels Inquiry, whereby all the major energy suppliers and a number of smaller energy suppliers provide data directly at a tariff level.
	The following table shows the proportion of consumers who paid their energy bills by direct debit, in quarter two of 2013, split by Public Electricity Supply (PES) region.
	
		
			  Proportion of consumers that pay by direct debit (%) 
			 Public Electricity Supply region/country Standard electricity Economy 7 Gas 
			 Southern 64 53 64 
			 South East 63 55 61 
			 South West 59 50 60 
			 Eastern 58 50 58 
			 North East 51 54 57 
			 North Scotland 56 45 61 
			 East Midlands 56 61 59 
			 South Scotland 55 43 56 
			 North West 54 51 56 
			 West Midlands 54 53 55 
			 Yorkshire 53 50 55 
			 South Wales 53 51 54 
			 Merseyside and North Wales 52 49 53 
			 London 41 46 42 
			     
			 Northern Ireland 38 30 n/a 
			 Scotland 55 44 57 
			 England and Wales 55 53 57 
			 Great Britain 55 52 57 
			 Northern Ireland 38 30 n/a 
			     
			 UK 55 52 n/a 
		
	
	Data are only available at the PES region level. Gas data are not published for Northern Ireland. These figures are made available through the DECC publication Quarterly Energy Prices, in tables 2.4.2 (standard electricity), 2.4.3 (economy 7) and 2.5.2 (gas):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Energy: Billing

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to encourage energy companies to continue with discounts for customers who pay their bills by direct debit.

Michael Fallon: Suppliers must operate under the regulatory framework set by Ofgem. Ofgem is in the process of introducing new rules to simplify tariffs through their retail market reforms, including standardising the way discounts are applied.
	Under Ofgem's rules suppliers will be limited to four core tariffs per fuel. Suppliers will be allowed to vary the cost of the tariff depending on the payment method used by the customer, provided that the differential between payment methods is cost reflective.
	As direct debit customers cost less to serve than customers who pay on receipt of bill and customers who have pre-payment meters, we would expect direct debit customers to continue to benefit from lower charges.

Energy: Meters

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households using pre-payment electricity meters in (a) Wirral, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: The following table shows the proportion of customers using pre-payment electricity meters, in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Proportion of standard electricity consumers using pre-payment meters (percentage) 
			  Merseyside and North Wales Public Electricity Supply region UK 
			 2008 20.0 14.0 
			 2009 20.4 14.4 
			 2010 22.1 15.0 
			 2011 22.3 15.4 
			 2012 22.8 15.8 
		
	
	Data is only available at the Public Electricity Supply (PES) region level of geography. Both the Wirral and Merseyside are within the Merseyside and North Wales PES region. This data is available within the DECC publication Quarterly Energy Prices, table 2.4.2:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Green Deal Scheme: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Barrow and Furness constituency have received finance under the Green Deal since January 2013; and what the total amount of such finance was.

Gregory Barker: The Department currently publishes information on different aspects of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) in our monthly Official Statistics series:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-october-2013
	The Department also publishes more detailed breakdowns on the Green Deal and ECO via the quarterly series, “Domestic Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation in Great Britain, Quarterly report”:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-january-june-2013-statistics
	The latest available information covers January-June 2013 including some statistics for the Barrow and Furness constituency.
	Currently the Department does not breakdown information on finance under the Green Deal to the level of geographical detail requested but we are considering the further information that can be included in future quarterly releases as the data available increases.

Nuclear Power: Subsidies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to subsidise nuclear power on the same basis as (a) fossil fuels and (b) solar PV.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), statement to Parliament on 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 23-25, confirmed—as set out to Parliament in October 2010 and again in February this year—that new nuclear will receive no support, unless similar support is also made available more widely to other types of generation.

Power Stations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent power generators.

Michael Fallon: The Government's Electricity Market Reform programme will deliver important changes to the electricity market which will reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent power generators.
	Contracts for Difference (CfD) will reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent renewable generators by reducing long-term price risk from the generator. Reducing this risk will make it easier to provide long-term contracts for independent generators' power. Under the CfD, when buying power, companies will not need to provide a 'price floor' to generators and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) will not need to cover generators' Renewable Obligation Certificates so the contracts will become simpler. This will make it easier for a wider range of companies to offer PPAs, improving competition and encouraging new entrants to the market, which should provide a better deal for independent renewable generators. We are also working with stakeholders to prepare the market for the introduction of the CrD, by considering contracting approaches and a code of practice for the PPA market which will also ensure that a broad range of generators are able to access the CfD.
	The Offtaker of Last Resort proposal will provide eligible independent renewable generators with a guaranteed backstop contract for their power at a set discount to the market price. Together with the CfD this will provide investors and lenders with more certainty over revenue for eligible generators, allowing for greater investment in independent renewable generation and freeing up generators to use innovative routes to market, including shorter-term PPAs.
	The Department's design of the Capacity Market aims to reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent power generators that are not receiving low carbon support, by providing a steady revenue stream in place of dependence on volatile scarcity prices, allowing greater certainty for investors. Longer-term contracts will also be offered to new plants to enable them to spread their cost of capital over a longer period. This is particularly important to independent players as they rely on securing project finance, rather than financing from their balance sheet.
	The Department is also backing Ofgem's work to improve wholesale market liquidity so that it is sufficient to support the market entry of independent power generators. We are doing this by taking backstop powers in the Energy Bill to take action to improve wholesale market liquidity should Ofgem's ambitious package of reforms be delayed or frustrated.

Renewable Energy

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the aggregate costs of the renewables obligation in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; what estimate he has made of such costs in the current financial year; and whether each annual aggregate cost falls within the limits set out by the Levy Control Framework.

Michael Fallon: The costs of the renewables obligation (RO) for 2011-12 and 2012-13, and the corresponding annual spending review envelope, are shown in the table. In both years, RO costs were within the annual Levy Control Framework envelopes for the scheme.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Nominal cost Levy Control Framework RO spending review envelope 
			 2011-12 1,458 1,750 
			 2012-13 1,991 2,156 
		
	
	These figures are inclusive of the administrative costs to Ofgem of the renewables obligation. They have been calculated by multiplying the annual buy-out price and the out-turn obligation for the given year, based on data supplied by Ofgem.
	The estimated cost of the RO in 2013-14 is £2,583 million against a spending review envelope of £2,556 million. Across the three years, aggregate RO expenditure is currently forecast to be £430 million (7%) below the aggregate spending review envelope for the same period.

Renewable Energy

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to internalise the cost of the negative externalities of (a) wind power and (b) biomass combustion identified in his Department's report Revised draft national policy statement for renewable energy infrastructure.

Michael Fallon: The draft National Policy Statement on renewable energy infrastructure (EN-3) was consulted on between November 2010 and January 2011. The final National Policy Statement (NPS) was approved by Parliament on 18 July 2011 and designated by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 19 July 2011. It sets out how Government policy should be applied by decision-makers when considering applications for Development Consent Orders for major energy infrastructure. The NPS sets out a number of potential effects of renewable energy infrastructure that should be considered and indicates possible mitigation to remove or minimise significant adverse impacts.
	Renewable energy projects will only be built where the impacts are, or can be made, acceptable. In relation to biomass sustainability, the Government will be introducing mandatory requirements through the Renewables Obligation and the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Renewable Energy

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 371W, on renewable energy, if he will set out the form he envisages the provision for cancellation will take; and under what circumstances the provision for cancellation will be applied.

Michael Fallon: The draft CfD published in August this year set out the situations in which a CfD might be cancelled. These situations include:
	Insolvency of the generator
	Non-payment of difference payments
	Breach of key obligations
	Credit support default
	Breach of metering obligations.
	We continue to develop these in light of stakeholder feedback and an ongoing analysis of the CfD. The draft CfD and the Explanatory Notes published alongside them (which explain how the clauses in the draft CfD take effect) can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/227071/CfD_contract__amended.pdf
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226888/Final_Form_Explanatory_ Notes_06_08_2013.pdf

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department will publish its response to the consultation on Renewable Heat Incentive: Expanding the non-domestic scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: I am currently finalising the details of the expansion of the non-domestic RHI scheme alongside the response to the tariff review consultation, and have committed to confirming the way forward later this autumn.

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department first obtained a copy of the report the PBO model at Sellafield: Performance to 31 May 2013, commissioned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority from KPMG; and what factors underpinned the decision of his Department not to make a copy of this report available to (a) the Public Accounts Committee PAC and (b) the National Audit Office prior to the PAC hearing on assurance of reported savings at Sellafield held on 4 November 2013.

Michael Fallon: The Department received a copy of the draft KPMG report on 26 July and the final version on 13 September 2013 when they were circulated by the NDA to its Competition Programme Board, on which the Department is represented by the Shareholder Executive, alongside representatives of the Treasury and Infrastructure UK.
	The KPMG report provides an independent review of performance during the first five years. It was commissioned by the NDA to inform its decision on contract extension. The report does provide independently collated performance data but does not provide advice to the NDA. The report, its use and disclosure are the responsibility of the NDA.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not operate or sponsor any 0845, 0844 or 0843 telephone numbers.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the recent increases in consumer electricity prices is estimated to be the result of grid reinforcement and system management costs caused by wind power.

Michael Fallon: Grid reinforcement and system management costs form part of overall network costs which are, in part, charged to energy suppliers and feed through to consumer bills. In announcing the recent price rises, energy suppliers have listed wholesale prices, cost of environmental and social schemes, and network costs as the main drivers for the increases. However, none of them has given proportions to these elements.
	There are no data available on the proportions of network costs due to wind power. Most expenditure on network reinforcements benefits more than one type of generation and has multiple purposes. For example, reinforcements are needed to replace ageing assets, to maintain network reliability and to ensure electricity reaches customers throughout the country.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Offshore Wind Component Technologies Development and Demonstration scheme.

Michael Fallon: The DECC-Technology Strategy Board Offshore Wind Component Technologies Development and Demonstration scheme was launched in November 2011 with a budget of up to £15 million to provide grant support for testing and demonstration of devices and innovation in component technologies for large offshore wind systems. The scheme is intended to develop technologies which can reduce the cost of offshore wind energy.
	Since November 2011, there have been four calls on the scheme and DECC has committed funding of more than £13 million to 17 projects to date. These include projects including: wind turbine generators and drive trains; concrete, steel and floating foundations; fabrication techniques; offshore access, subsea cabling and turbine testing. Summary information about the projects which have been announced so far is given in the following table. DECC will announce details of the further projects to be supported by the scheme once the detailed grant offer arrangements have been finalised.
	
		
			 Lead company Project title Grant award (£) 
			 Aquasium Technology Ltd RapiFab—Rapid, cost-effective fabrication of offshore wind support structures 769,600 
			 Blade Dynamics Ltd Composite Hub Technology Demonstration project 842,630 
			 David Brown Gear Systems Ltd Powertrain Gearbox Solution for Large Scale Offshore Wind Energy Production 1,228,200 
			 Gravitas Ltd Pre-production demonstration of Gravitas Offshore Limited's concrete gravity foundation demonstrator for offshore wind turbines 556,250 
			 HVPD Ltd Integrated Offshore High Voltage. Network Monitoring System (OHVMS) For Renewable Networks 545,500 
			 JDR Cable Systems Ltd Lead-Free HV AC Array Cables 1,020,761 
			 NGenTecLtd Pre-production demonstration of NGenTec novel generator technology for offshore wind turbines 782,991 
			 OGN North Sea Ltd Triton Wind Turbine Generator Foundation 640,250 
			 OSBIT Power Ltd MaXccess windfarm access development 614,880 
			 Power Cable Services Ltd Hi-Cab: Cable Jointing Technology 540,000 
			 Principle Power Ltd UK Pilot WindFloat Design and Industrialisation Study 698,630 
			 Ricardo UK Ltd "OWDIn 5MW+": Offshore Wind Drivetrain Innovation for 5MW and beyond 634,980 
			 SSE Renewables UK Ltd National Offshore Wind Turbine Test Facility (NOWTTF) 1,000,000 
			 TetraFloat Ltd Floating Tetrahedral Structure for Offshore Wind Turbines 134,000 
			 Wind Technologies Ltd Design, Manufacture and Testing of a 5MW Medium-Speed Brushless DFIG System for Offshore Wind Turbines 728,355

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Cleveland

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Attorney-General how many people in the Cleveland Police area were prosecuted for breaches of anti-social behaviour orders in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013 to date.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. Offences of breaching an antisocial behaviour order or interim antisocial behaviour order can be charged under section 1(10) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. From 1 January 2009 to 7 November 2013, the number of these offences prosecuted by the CPS in Cleveland was as follows:
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Crime and Disorder Act 1998 { 1(10) }—Breach of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order 597 432 350 262 410 
			 Crime and Disorder Act 1998 { 1D and 1(10) }—Breach of an interim Anti-Social Behaviour Order 12 10 12 4 11 
		
	
	No central records of the prosecution outcomes of offences are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of people prosecuted for these offences would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Offences against Children

Helen Goodman: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been for the offence of a parent or guardian showing their child obscene material in the years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences, in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of cases or defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.
	Offences relating to showing children obscene or indecent material may be prosecuted under section 12 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003which creates an offence of causing a child to watch a sexual act.
	The following table shows, in each of the last three years, the number of offences prosecuted for causing a child aged 15 or under to look at an image or to watch sexual activity for the purpose of sexual gratification of the offender.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 (12) 184 233 141 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate these figures to show separately the number of offences relating to parents or guardians as opposed to other adults. To do so would require a manual exercise to review individual files and this would attract a disproportionate cost.

Police: Surveillance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney-General in how many cases criminal charges have been (a) considered and (b) brought against undercover police officers for suspected offences committed while they were undercover in the last three years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the numbers of defendants and suspects who are undercover police officers. To obtain these data would require a detailed manual file analysis which would incur a disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the continuation of the Air Quality Grants programme.

Dan Rogerson: Since it began in 1997, the air quality grant programme has played an important role in supporting measures to improve local air quality and to assist the Government in working towards EU air quality standards, especially for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The grant programme is reviewed annually, based on departmental priorities, and announcements on funding for 2014-15 will be made early next year.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to permit the use of gassing as part of the badger cull.

George Eustice: Only controlled shooting and cage trapping and shooting are permitted as control methods during the badger control pilots.
	As set out in our draft “Strategy for achieving officially free bovine tuberculosis-free status for England”, further research into alternative population control methods (eg sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This includes investigating the potential use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the possible financial implications of opting out of each of the police and criminal justice measures in the third pillar of the EU treaties; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: On 9 July, the Home Secretary announced to Parliament that the Government intended to exercise the UK's opt-out under the Lisbon treaty and seek to rejoin a package of 35 police and criminal justice measures that are in the UK's national interest. Following debates and votes in both Houses of Parliament the Prime Minister wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers on 24 July to provide formal notification that the Government has decided to exercise its right, provided for by article 10(4) of protocol 36 to the treaties, to opt out of all pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures.
	The Home Secretary has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin. This will be done in good time ahead of the second vote on this matter and contain all relevant information.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA recruited (a) 76 staff under fixed-term contracts and (b) 84 staff under short-term contracts between 1 May 2010 and 31 October 2013.

Water Charges

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost of water charges was in real terms in each water company area in each of the last three years.

Dan Rogerson: The following table sets out the average charges for each water and sewerage and water only company for the past three years.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Average water bill 
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			  Water Sewerage Both Water Sewerage Both Water Sewerage Both 
			 Water and sewerage company          
			 Anglian 191 241 431 194 241 435 194 240 434 
			 Dwr Cymru 186 259 445 183 256 440 181 253 434 
			 Northumbrian 166 198 365 166 196 362 164 195 359 
			 Essex and Suffolk 221 — — 221 — — 221 — — 
			 Severn Trent 180 159 339 179 159 337 177 158 335 
		
	
	
		
			 South West 235 328 563 232 322 555 230 319 549 
			 Southern 156 280 436 156 283 439 158 291 449 
			 Thames 208 137 345 204 142 346 207 147 354 
			 United Utilities 196 210 406 194 210 405 193 213 406 
			 Wessex 237 230 467 241 228 469 249 229 478 
			 Yorkshire 170 196 366 169 197 367 167 201 368 
			           
			 Water only company(1)          
			 Bristol 183 — — 185 — — 191 — — 
			 Cambridge 129 — — 130 — — 130 — — 
			 Cholderton 210  — 207 — — 204 — — 
			 Dee Valley 146 — — 148 — — 150 — — 
			 Portsmouth 99 — — 96 — — 96 — — — 
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire 161 — — 157 — — 154. — — 
			 South East 209 — — 201 — — 201 — — 
			 South Staffs 144 — — 145 — — 144 — — 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 184 — — 184 — — 186 — — 
			 Affinity Water (Central) 185 — — 179 — — 174 — — 
			 Affinity Water (East) 179 — — 173 — — 171 — — 
			 Affinity Water (South East) 202 — — 202 — — 203 — — 
			 (1) Customers of water only companies have their sewerage service provided by their local water and sewerage company.

Water Charges

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with water companies on the use of their concessionary schemes to protect community groups from unaffordable surface water drainage charges.

Dan Rogerson: As a result of the switch by some water companies from the rateable value to a site area method of calculating surface water drainage charges, some community groups experienced unaffordable water charges. The Government brought forward legislation through the Flood and Water Management Act and in December 2010 issued guidance to allow undertakers to operate concessionary schemes for community groups for the purpose of surface water drainage charges.

Water Charges

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the development of social tariffs to help low income households with the cost of water.

Dan Rogerson: The Government places a high importance on affordability of water bills. We have issued Social Tariffs Guidance to allow water companies to develop concessionary schemes to support those customers that struggle to pay their bills. Water companies can do this in the light of local needs and circumstances and in consultation with their customers. Three companies have already done so.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cybercrime

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent cyber attacks.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with full support from our security and intelligence agencies, continues to address threats in cyberspace and to work with our allies and partners to do the same. The UK plays a leading role in the debate on how we tackle those threats more effectively. We maintain permanent representation at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, where we are closely involved in discussions on cyber issues. We participated in the UN Group of Governmental Experts which produced a report on cyber issues. We are playing a leading role in global capacity building efforts to support the development of operational and policy capabilities in other countries, and also support international activity to increase cooperation to tackle cybercrime.

Developing Countries: Internet

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to advocate a multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance rather than a centralised approach.

Hugh Robertson: At the heart of the Government's vision for the future of cyberspace is an open, borderless internet that benefits from collective oversight between Governments, international organisations, industry and civil society. This is vital to ensure secure and reliable access to the internet, to enable the internet to remain a driver of growth, development, good governance and innovation in our societies, and to protect our citizens from crime and terrorism online.
	In 2011 the Secretary of State launched the “London Process” of international conferences on cyberspace with the objective of achieving a more transparent and inclusive model of governance within which no single body controls all of the functions that govern the internet. The London conference was followed by conferences in Bulgaria and South Korea, and we very much welcome the Netherlands' Government's offer to host the next conference in early 2015. We will work closely with Dutch counterparts to help ensure it advances our shared goals. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who have the policy lead, other Government Departments, industry and civil society to continue to advance the arguments for a "multi-stakeholder approach" to internet governance. We are doing this through bilateral discussions, including though our global network of posts and official visits to and from the UK; and working within international fora.

Exports

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the value of export business gained by UK companies through the direct work of UK embassies and high commissions.

Hugo Swire: Independent monitoring and evaluation exercises demonstrate that UK Trade and Investment and Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff at UK embassies, high commissions and consulates assisted UK exporters in signing contracts worth at least £50.9 billion in the 12 months to March 2013.

Exports

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what comparative assessment he has made of the growth in UK exports to (a) countries where a diplomatic mission has been maintained and (b) countries with no UK diplomatic mission.

Hugo Swire: Her Majesty's Government takes a systematic and strategic approach centred around building relations with emerging powers, while continuing to work closely on existing relationships, including the US, EU and other partners.
	In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to strengthen its diplomatic network, deploying more staff to the fastest growing regions, upgrading existing posts and opening new ones. Comprehensive trade statistics are available from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Exports

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support export growth to countries where the UK does not maintain a permanent diplomatic mission.

Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to promoting the UK's interests in all countries with which we have diplomatic relations, including those covered on a non-resident basis. In 2011, the UK Government agreed a Network Shift programme resulting in a significant move of resources to emerging powers/markets.
	In addition, since 2010, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has opened or upgraded 14 missions overseas. Further openings are planned by 2015. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly reviews its global representation to ensure it covers the UK's foreign policy priorities and interests.

Gibraltar

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any minister or official has agreed or taken any steps to restart talks with Spain on the sovereignty of Gibraltar under the Brussels Process or any other bilateral process.

David Lidington: There have been no discussions, nor have any steps been taken by UK Ministers or officials to restart talks with Spain on the sovereignty of Gibraltar. Our position on sovereignty is clear and has not changed. We will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their wishes. Furthermore, the UK will not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.

Government Communications Headquarters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what equipment has gone missing from the GCHQ fixed asset register in each of the last 10 years.

Hugh Robertson: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on matters of intelligence. GCHQ has effective processes in place for managing its fixed assets; these processes are regularly reviewed by the National Audit Office.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: In common with other Whitehall Departments, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is subject to the Government-wide recruitment freeze with external recruitment only allowed in business-critical cases. Fixed-term and short-term contacts have been used to fill business-critical gaps.
	Since June 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has approved the recruitment of:
	(a) 59 fixed-term staff;
	(b) 136 short-term contracts.
	Some of these contracts have already ended. We do not hold details centrally of contracts set up by posts overseas from their own budgets and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the President of Sri Lanka on accreditation for UK journalists wishing to attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Hugo Swire: We have regularly raised the issue of media access to Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) with the Sri Lankan Government, and have said we expect full and unrestricted access for all media covering CHOGM. I raised this with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister most recently on 5 November. Any abuses of human rights, media freedom and other acts which would go against the Commonwealth Charter in Sri Lanka in the coming days will be witnessed by the Commonwealth and the rest of the world. We continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to give free and unfettered access to CHOGM to all who require it.

Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Lord Marland on human rights in Sri Lanka.

Hugo Swire: The Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with Lord Marland on human rights in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he or the Prime Minister has received in favour of the Prime Minister attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: As the Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate on CHOGM on 6 November highlighted, our decision to attend was not taken lightly but it is the right thing to do both for the Commonwealth, and so we can press for progress in Sri Lanka on a variety of issues. This Government strongly supports the Commonwealth, and firmly believes it can continue to be a force for good around the world, promoting freedom, democracy and human rights. We also believe that shining a spotlight on Sri Lanka by attending CHOGM and being part of the debate will be of more use than staying away and not being able to influence that debate.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for civil service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Hugh Robertson: The National School of Government was closed in March 2012. The information requested is not held centrally and can be collated only from the individual Departments at disproportionate costs.

Thailand

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Ambassador of Thailand about the charges against UK citizen Andy Hall.

Hugo Swire: I discussed Mr Hall's case with Thailand's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jullapong Nonsrichai on 20 May 2013. The Thai Government are not able to interfere with the legal process. Her Majesty's ambassador to Thailand and officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have met Mr Hall to discuss his case, most recently in October 2013. We hope that Mr Hall is able to access the appropriate legal advice to resolve his situation in Thailand.

Visits Abroad

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, his Department made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Hugh Robertson: Value for money is the top priority in our travel and accommodation arrangements. We are committed to ensuring that travel is as cost-effective as possible, particularly in the current climate of reducing departmental budgets. We are continually looking for ways to get better value out of our spend on travel in the context of wider work on reducing overheads and resources devoted to corporate services.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) also encourages the use of secure video-conferencing in a further effort to reduce the number of flights needed. However, face-to-face meetings are a vital part of diplomatic work and this necessarily involves travel. Ministers and senior civil servants are expected to undertake a heavy work load of travel to help promote UK interests throughout the world. The FCO cannot achieve its objectives without overseas travel.
	The specific information you requested is not held centrally; collating it will involve at disproportionate cost.
	However, I am listing in the table the costs for air, rail and hotel bookings combined made through the FCO travel management company, Hogg Robinson Group plc. The figures provided in the table do not include bookings made through local travel agencies at post, accommodation not booked through Hogg Robinson Group and subsistence. Only a proportion of all FCO travel costs are recorded centrally because the majority of travel is paid from budgets delegated to each post and the Hogg Robinson contract does not currently extend to a majority of posts overseas, to other types of travel than air and rail, or to accommodation paid for by Corporate Cards or by posts overseas.
	
		
			 International travel and hotel costs 
			  £ 
			 2010-11 9,042,977 
			 2011-12 10,391,602 
			 2012-13 13,241,662 
		
	
	The reason for the increase in the figures is because the FCO has centralised its booking system, so more travel is booked through Hogg Robinson and less individually through local travel agents in order to receive the lowest possible fares and maximise value for money to the taxpayer.
	Since January 2010 the FCO has moved to a system where staff only claim for 'actual' expenditure necessarily incurred as part of their duties. Actual expenses are either claimed back or processed on Government Procurement Cards. This replaced the fixed based subsistence system which was in use prior to 2010. The current FCO policy ensures more accountability and transparency in all our travel claims as they are regularly audited, while all transactions made on Government Procurement Cards over £500 are published on a monthly basis as part of our transparency obligation.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the UK Border Force's submission to the Government's Red Tape Challenge on General Aviation.

Robert Goodwill: I can confirm that the UK Border Force did not submit a response to the General Aviation Red Tape Challenge. All aviation security regulations were looked at as part of the original aviation Red Tape Challenge which took place in 2012 and it was agreed that all of these regulations should remain unchanged.

Aviation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the UK Border Force will be represented on the Challenge Panel which will oversee the Civil Aviation Authority's changes to the regulatory system for general aviation.

Robert Goodwill: I can confirm that the UK Border Force (UKBF) is not represented on the GA Challenge Panel which has been set up to provide a critical friend function to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The panel's remit is to challenge and support CAA to deliver proportionate and risk based regulation of GA. This will support and encourage a vibrant GA sector, while ensuring that safety and security remain paramount. The panel will report directly to Ministers. The composition of the panel was announced on 6 November.

Aviation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has a complete list of UK-registered private planes.

Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is required to maintain the UK Register of Civil Aircraft under the requirements of the Air Navigation Order 2009. The register includes all aircraft registered in the UK and is publicly available through the CAA website. As of 7 November 2013, the register included 19,859 aircraft of which 18,182 were not operated by the holder of an Aeroplane or Helicopter Air Operator Certificate for the purposes of commercial air transport.

Aviation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many private flights are undertaken each year in UK airspace.

Robert Goodwill: This information is not recorded by the Department for Transport.

Bus Services: Fares

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average bus fare was in real terms in each of the last three years.

Stephen Hammond: This information is not held in the form requested. However, my Department does publish a local bus fares index. This provides information at constant prices for Great Britain. Figures for the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			 Local bus fares index (at constant prices(1)) by metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain 
			 March 2005=100        
			 Year(2) London English metropolitan areas English non-metropolitan areas England Scotland Wales Great Britain 
			 2011 118.4 119.9 97.8 111.2 108.3 106.6 110.8 
			 2012 120.5 123.6 100.5 114.0 110.1 109.0 113.4 
			 2013 122.1 123.5 102.9 115.5 111.2 112.8 115.0 
			 (1 )Adjusted for inflation using the RPI (2 )Index as at March 
		
	
	The full table, which includes figures from 1995 onwards, can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206999/bus0405.xls

Car Tax

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are to be put into place for owners of vehicles manufactured in 1973 to register them as historic for the purposes of vehicle excise duty from 1 April 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: From 1 April 2014, registered keepers will be able to apply to change the tax class of vehicles manufactured in 1973 to the “Historic” tax class by completing an application and sending it to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Swansea.

Driving Instruction

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimates his Department has made of (a) the average length of time and (b) the average cost of learning to drive in the UK.

Robert Goodwill: Evidence from recent research suggests that learner drivers take about nine months to learn to drive.
	We have estimated that the average cost of learning to drive as being between £1,300 and £1,800, which includes the cost of the provisional licence, professional instruction with an approved driving instructor, fuel and vehicle costs associated with private practice with a family member or friend, costs of the driving tests and car insurance.

Driving Tests

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age has been at which people have passed their driving test in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The Driving Standards Agency is responsible for driving tests in Great Britain.
	There are no practical car driving test centres in the Ribble Valley constituency.
	In each of the last five financial years the average age of candidates who passed their practical car driving test in Lancashire was:
	
		
			  Average age 
			 2008-09 22.1 
			 2009-10 22.2 
			 2010-11 22.6 
			 2011-12 22.6 
			 2012-13 22.7 
		
	
	In each of the last five financial years the average age of candidates who passed their practical car driving test in Great Britain was:
	
		
			  Average age 
			 2008-09 22.9 
			 2009-10 22.9 
			 2010-11 23.2 
			 2011-12 23.5 
			 2012-13 23.6

Driving: Licensing

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the introduction of graduated driving licences.

Robert Goodwill: The Government is supportive of the general aim to reduce the risks that newly-qualified drivers pose to themselves and others, which is why it intends to publish a Green Paper later this year.
	The Green Paper will open debate on a graduated driver licensing approach in Great Britain. We are conscious of the safety benefits set out in the recently published Transport Research Laboratory report. In preparing the Green Paper, we have tried to balance safety against the freedom and economic impacts young people could face as result of this approach.

Driving: Licensing

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people had their driving licences revoked in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The information is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Area 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total 
			 Ribble Valley 276 341 444 384 339 1,784 
			 Lancashire 5,528 6,478 7,753 7,193 5,774 32,726 
			 UK (excluding NI) 173,351 224,545 241,107 228,901 179,241 1,047,145

Driving: Licensing

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people hold (a) provisional and (b) full driving licences in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK.

Robert Goodwill: The information is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Area Provisional licence Full licence 
			 Ribble Valley constituency 8,559 84,913 
			 Lancashire 170,513 1,056,207 
			 UK (excluding Northern Ireland) 7,374,233 38,179,796

Driving: Young People

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish his Department's Green Paper on young drivers' safety.

Robert Goodwill: I intend to publish the Green Paper on young drivers later this year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what cost of investment capital his Department used to calculate the figures included in the Strategic Case for HS2.

Robert Goodwill: For the purposes of the economic appraisal of HS2, we have assumed that the funding and financing of HS2 infrastructure will come entirely from central Government funds.
	While our base assumption is that Government is likely to have a central role in driving forward investment in this vital infrastructure for the country we will continue to examine the potential for private financing to reduce the up-front capital demand on the taxpayer and offer value for money.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in Stafford constituency have (a) applied to have, (b) been approved to have or (c) had their home purchased under the High Speed 2 exceptional hardship scheme to date.

Robert Goodwill: In the constituency of Stafford under the High Speed 2 Exceptional Hardship Scheme to date:
	(a) six applications have been received;
	(b) three applications have been accepted (three are awaiting a decision); and
	(c) no purchases have been completed.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an assessment of the option of slower trains allowing a new north-south railway to better follow existing transport corridors and landscape as an alternative to High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd published a review of route alignments for HS2 Phase One in January 2012, in particular reviewing the case for an alignment in the Chiltern Line and M40 corridors and an alignment in the M1 corridor. These were found to cost £3 billion and £2.2 billion more than the consultation route respectively while producing less economic benefit.
	The route for Phase Two is currently the subject of a public consultation. On the Eastern leg, from Birmingham to Leeds, a significant proportion of the route runs in existing transport corridors (the M42 and the M1). On the Western leg, from Birmingham to Manchester, the options report published by HS2 Ltd reviewed a short listed alternative alignment in the M6 corridor rather than the west coast main line corridor that is the subject of the consultation.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the £80 million of targeted funding for low carbon vehicle technologies made available through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles will be spent on researching the safety implications of such vehicles.

Robert Goodwill: None specifically, though safety runs through each of the project themes funded by Government. All ultra low emission vehicles have to adhere to the same strict safety standards as every other vehicle on the roads.

Railways

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent findings are of the Rail Delivery Group with regard to workforce planning and the creation of apprenticeships for the rail industry.

Stephen Hammond: An efficient and financially sustainable railway is a growing railway, generating new jobs and opportunities. Our substantial investment plans up to 2019, and beyond that for HS2, represent a huge opportunity for the rail industry and its work force.
	Network Rail, a member of the Rail Delivery Group, is one of the UK's leading apprenticeship providers and the Rail Delivery Group as a whole is engaged with the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering.

Railways

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what proportion of (a) first class seats and (b) standard class train seats are occupied on weekdays on trains from London to Birmingham between (i) 6 am and 9 am and (ii) 3 pm and 6 pm;
	(2)  what proportion of (a) first class and (b) standard class train seats are occupied from Leeds to London between (i) 6 am and 9 am and (ii) 3 pm and 6 pm on each weekday;
	(3)  what proportion of (a) first class and (b) standard class train seats are occupied on weekdays on trains from London to Manchester (i) between 6 am and 9 am and (ii) between 3 pm and 6 pm.

Stephen Hammond: Franchised train operators are required by the Department to undertake passenger counts on their services as part of their franchise agreements. The Department for Transport (DFT) holds passenger count data for services between London and Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester collected by the train operators that operate on these routes. However, this data is held by DFT on a commercially confidential basis and so cannot be released.
	The train operators that operate services on these routes, namely Virgin Trains, London Midland, Chiltern Railways and East Coast may be able to provide more information.

Railways: Fares

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average rail fare was in each of the last three years.

Stephen Hammond: The Office of Rail Regulation publishes information on the average revenue per passenger journey made with franchised rail operators. The figures for the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			  Franchised passenger journeys (million) Franchised passenger revenue (£ million) Average revenue per journey (£) 
			 2010-11 1,354 6,620 4.89 
			 2011-12 1,460 7,229 4.95 
			 2012-13 1,502 7,707 5.13 
			 Source: Office of Rail Regulation

Railways: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2013, Official Report, columns 612-3W, on cross country railway line, what proportion of the total network grant was paid by Network Rail to the franchised train operating company on the (a) Cross Country, (b) Greater Anglia, (c) Great Western and (d) West Coast railway line in each year since 2009-10.

Stephen Hammond: The Network Grant is a sum of money from the Department to Network Rail which is not allocated to specific parts of the rail network, nor is it paid to franchised train operators.
	There is no recognised rule for allocating the Network Grant across franchises. However, the Department for Transport (DFT) does publish an indication of how it may be distributed across the train operators. This is calculated by taking the total Network Grant, apportioned according to each franchise's share of fixed track access charges, charged by Network Rail to run trains on the network:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/cp4-pl-fixed_track_ charges_sched_181208.pdf
	A breakdown by operator is available on the DFT website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-subsidy-per-passenger-mile

Railways: Franchises

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assurances on access he can provide to existing and potential future open access operators in light of the new East Coast Mainline schedule of rail franchise replacement and extension.

Stephen Hammond: Access to the network is a matter for the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Neither the InterCity East Coast franchise competition nor the franchising schedule announced by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on 26 March 2013 affect this nor do they affect the current Government position on Open Access. This is unchanged from that outlined in the Command Paper, ‘Reforming our Railways’, published in March 2012 and as stated in my previous written answer to my hon. Friend on 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 528W.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a schedule of the work for which the Cauldwell Walk depot in Bedford will continue to be responsible following the completion of the Thameslink rolling stock project.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail are the owners of Cauldwell Walk depot. It is for the rail industry to decide how and where it manages and maintains its rolling stock fleets. There are a number of possible options for future use of the depot, none of which have yet been finalised.

Railways: Trespass

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to tackle trespassing on the railway network.

Stephen Hammond: Trespass on the rail network is a matter for Network Rail as the relevant duty holder.
	Network Rail raises awareness of the dangers of trespass through a number of initiatives and is targeting the most likely offenders, young people aged between 16 and 25 years old, via its "Rail Life" and "Trackoff" websites and support for community activities including school visits and railway safety centres. In areas with high instances of trespass, Network Rail is replacing existing installations with more secure fences to make it more difficult to access the railway.
	More information about Network Rail's work to prevent trespass can be obtained through the National Helpline on 08457 11 41 41 or from:
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London
	N1 9AG.
	The Government has also made significant resources available to Network Rail during the next Control Period (until 2019) to further improve the safety of our rail network. This includes £109 million ring-fenced funding specifically to reduce risk at level crossings.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport and its six Executive Agencies have employed 871 new staff under short or fixed-term contracts since 1 May 2010.

Roads: Safety

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to improve rural road safety.

Robert Goodwill: The Department recently issued revised guidance aimed mainly at local traffic authorities who are responsible for setting speed limits on local roads; it has also been designed to help explain to everyone why and how local speed limits are determined. This circular has been revised following full public consultation in summer 2012.
	Traffic authorities set local speed limits in situations where local needs and conditions suggest a speed limit which is lower than the national speed limit. They have the flexibility to set local speed limits that are appropriate for the individual road, reflecting local needs and taking account of local considerations.
	I intend to issue a Green Paper on young drivers later this year. Improving the safety and ability of young drivers is a key priority for the Government which is why we have made the driving test more realistic and why we are undertaking a complete review of young people and road safety. The Department is considering several options to ensure that young people are properly prepared and drive safely.
	We will continue to work with young people, the insurance industry, and other key partners on the development of any policy interventions we may take forward in the future.

Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2013, Official Report, columns 612-63W, on cross country railway line, what leasing costs the franchised train operating company on the (a) Cross Country, (b) Greater Anglia, (c) Great Western and (d) West Coast railway line paid to rolling stock companies in each year since 2009-10; and to which rolling stock company each such payment was made.

Stephen Hammond: Information on leasing costs is commercially sensitive so the Department is unable to provide it.
	Information on which companies lease rolling stock to each of the train operating companies listed is available publicly, including from such publications as "Rail Guide 2013" by Ian Allan Publishing.

Rolling Stock

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has (a) to replace class 142, 143 and 144 railbuses and (b) to make such buses compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Stephen Hammond: Rolling stock deployment is generally a matter for the train operators, with the Government's role primarily focused on ensuring that this represents value-for-money when the taxpayer's interest is involved.
	Thanks to the Government's investment in electrification the number of diesel trains needed in future should fall.
	The Department has set out the level of accessibility that it expects Pacers to have if they are to remain in service after 2019—it will be for the owners to decide whether to invest in life-extension works, alongside bidders for future franchises.

Speed Limits

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on road safety of the divergence of the UK's maximum speed limit from that of other European Union member states.

Robert Goodwill: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of different speed limits in explaining the safety performance of roads in other EU member states. A range of factors will affect road safety in different EU member states, of which speed limits will be one.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) today (UIN 174393).

CABINET OFFICE

Childbirth

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many, and what proportion, of child births in England were (a) home births and (b) occurred outside maternity wards, in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many, and what proportion, of child births in England were (a) home births and (b) occurred outside of maternity wards, in each of the last 10 years.
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2011. The table below shows the number and percentage of women giving birth at home and outside an NHS or non-NHS establishment in England for 2002 to 2011. ONS are unable to identify whether a birth occurred within a maternity ward.
	
		
			 Maternities: place of birth, 2002 to 2011, England 
			  Women giving birth Women giving birth at home(1) Women giving birth outside of an NHS(2) or non-NHS(3) establishment(4) 
			  Number Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 2011 680,565 16,090 2.4 17,275 2.5 
			 2010 679,638 16,919 2.5 18,075 2.7 
			 2009 663,490 17,834 2.7 18,857 2.8 
			 2008 665,779 18,933 2.8 19,984 3.0 
			 2007 648,684 18,323 2.8 19,348 3.0 
			 2006 629,364 16,923 2.7 17,819 2.8 
			 2005 607,090 15,335 2.5 16,189 2.7 
			 2004 601,467 13,525 2.2 14,338 2.4 
			 2003 584,450 12,746 2.2 13,472 2.3 
			 2002 560,332 12,055 2.2 12,850 2.3 
			 (1) At home—denoting the usual place of residence of the mother. (2 )NHS establishments (generally hospitals, maternity units and maternity wings). (3 )Non-NHS establishments (including private maternity units, military hospitals, private hospitals and communal establishments). (4 )Includes women giving birth at home. Note: A maternity is a pregnancy resulting in the birth of one or more children, including stillbirths. The table therefore shows the number of women giving birth rather than the number of babies born. Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	The number of maternities by place of birth (NHS establishments, non-NHS establishments, at home and elsewhere) in England is published annually in the Characteristics of Birth 2 Table 8, available at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/characteristics-of-birth-2--england-and-wales/index.html
	ONS have answered this question using maternities rather than the number of babies born as statistics on place of birth are published in this way.

Job Creation: Private Sector

Julie Hilling: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new jobs created in the private sector in the last 12 months were (a) unpaid workfare or internships, (b) through zero-hour contracts, (c) part-time, (d) part-time working 16 hours or less per week, (e) part-time working eight hours or less per week, (g) paid at the level of the minimum wage and (h) jobs transferred from public sector organisations.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new jobs created in the private sector in the last 12 months were (a) unpaid workfare or internships, (b) through zero-hour contracts, (c) part-time, (d) part-time working 16 hours or less per week, (e) part-time working eight hours or less per week, (g) paid at the level of the minimum wage and (h) jobs transferred from public sector organisations. 174810
	Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net change in the number of people in employment in the private sector have been provided from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	Estimates from the LFS of people working part-time and the numbers working 16 hours or less and those working 8 hours or less per week are provided in the table. This covers the level and change between April to June 2012 and April to June 2013.
	Unfortunately estimates relating to people on unpaid government schemes or internships are not available. Estimates relating to zero-hour contracts are available from the LFS; however, full estimates of the total number of people in employment on such contracts are not available from this source. This is, in part, due to reporting error as respondents may fail to identify their type of employment contract correctly. This prevents reliable estimates being produced for the private sector.
	The ONS produces estimates for the number of people paid below the national minimum wage but does not produce estimates for those paid at the national minimum wage.
	However, you may be interested in the 2013 Low Pay Commission Report, which includes an estimate for the proportion of UK jobs that may be considered 'national minimum wage jobs', meaning that they are either below, at, or up to 5 pence above the national minimum wage:
	http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/9305-BIS-Low_Pay-Accessible6.pdf
	(see paragraph 2.5 on page 20).
	The ONS is not able to provide an estimate of the number of jobs that have transferred from public sector organisations into the private sector. Information on organisations that have been reclassified from the public sector to the private sector in the previous year are included in the Public Sector Classification Guide, October 2013, available via the following link:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/na-classification/national-accounts-sector-classification/classification-update--october-2013/public-sector-classification-guide--october-2013.xls
	The guide is a list of bodies that have been classified by the ONS as public sector bodies within the National Accounts. As there are frequent changes in the names and number of bodies within the public sector, as well as moves in and out, the guide also includes information on former public sector bodies. ONS have estimated that the employment associated with the public sector organisations which have been reclassified to the private sector between October 2012 and October 2013 is less than 2,000 employees. Jobs may have transferred from public sector organisations to the private sector for reasons other than the reclassification of the organisation itself.
	
		
			 Level and annual change of people in employment in the private sector April to June, 2012 to 2013, UK, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Thousand 
			  Private Sector(1) 
			  Total(2) Annual Change Full-time(3) Annual Change Part-time Annual Change 
			 2012 22,394 — 16,386 — 5,982 — 
			 2013 22,543 149 16,552 167 5,964 -18 
		
	
	
		
			 Average actual weekly hours worked by people working part-time in the private sector April to June, 2012 to 2013, UK, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Thousand 
			  Private Sector(1) 
			  8 hours or less Annual Change 16 hours or less(3) Annual Change 
			 2012 774 — 1,569 — 
		
	
	
		
			 2013 739 -35 1,602 33 
			 (1) In the LFS the distinction between public and private sector is based on respondents' views about the organisation for which they work. The private sector estimates provided here do not correspond to official estimates which are based on National Accounts definitions. However, the official estimates cannot provide a breakdown by full- or part-time status. (2) Total includes those that did not state their full- or part-time status. (3) Includes those in the category '8 hours or less'. Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many new staff in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office have been employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010;
	(2)  how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher) on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 171W.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

Francis Maude: In line with the practice of previous Administrations, details of discussions with the Scottish Government are not normally disclosed.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Francis Maude: The National School of Government was closed in March 2012. The information requested is not held centrally.

Third Sector

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding his Department has allocated for the Big Society Awards in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Nick Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Harrow West (Mr Thomas) on 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 516W.
	Funding has not yet been allocated for 2014-15.

TREASURY

Banks: Pay

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on how many people currently employed by banks operating in the UK are paid (a) the national minimum wage for apprentices, (b) the national minimum wage for full-time equivalents and (c) the national living wage.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforce the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW. This is distinct from the concept of a living wage.
	HMRC does not hold information on the size of the workforce in specific employment sectors.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission a survey of the relative effect of the cost of pay-to-use ATMs on households in each income decile.

Sajid Javid: The Government has no plans to commission a survey of the relative effect of the cost of pay-to-use ATMs on households in each income decile.

Energy

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has changed energy suppliers for any of its buildings in the last 12 months.

Nicky Morgan: holding answer 7 November 2013
	The suppliers of energy to buildings occupied by the Department have not changed in the last 12 months.
	HM Treasury seeks to ensure best value for money is achieved for all procurements. In line with Government policy and to benefit from public sector buying power, it has centralised common commodity procurements, such as energy procurement, through contracts awarded and managed by the Government Procurement Service.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many petrol suppliers in Northern Ireland have supplied evidence in relation to the extension of the fuel rebate scheme to remote inland areas; and from which areas such evidence was received;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the evidence received from petrol suppliers in Northern Ireland regarding the extension of the fuel rebate scheme to remote inland areas.

Danny Alexander: The Government has launched a supplementary call for information until 6 December 2013. This has been designed to give fuel retailers in Northern Ireland and other areas of the UK a further opportunity to submit information to the Treasury, as part of its plan to extend the island fuel discount to mainland rural areas. The Government aims to submit its application to the European Commission in January.

Financial Services: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of independent financial advisers trading without professional indemnity insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to the hon. Member directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Hibu

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet representatives from the Hibu Shareholders Action Group to discuss reported misconduct by the board of Hibu; whether the Financial Conduct Authority plans to investigate that reported misconduct; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, given my responsibility for corporate governance and shareholder rights.
	I am unaware of the Government having been asked to date to meet with the Hibu Shareholders Action Group. The Hibu Shareholders Action Group is welcome to contact BIS officials in the first instance. I will give due consideration to this should any such meeting invitation be received.
	The Financial Conduct Authority has no power to inquire into, or take action in relation to, breaches of company law. This Department, via the agency body—the Insolvency Service—has discretionary powers under the Companies Act to conduct inquiries on behalf of the Secretary of State where it appears that there has been misconduct in relation to the affairs of any company, including those not subject to formal insolvency.
	In order to maintain confidentiality and to avoid prejudicing any potential court proceedings the Insolvency Service is not able to confirm whether an investigation of a particular company is taking place.

Infrastructure

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on administering the UK Guarantees Scheme to date.

Danny Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 217W.

International Monetary Fund

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in promoting governance reform of the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Chancellor of the Exchequer set out his priorities for IMF governance reform in his statement at the October 2013 IMF annual meetings, available at:
	http://www.imf.org/External/AM/2013/imfc/statement/eng/gbr.pdf
	The UK remains committed to reform of IMF governance to maintain the legitimacy and credibility of the fund.

Minimum Wage

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were paid below the minimum wage in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where we identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
	Since April 2013 HMRC have identified 5,303 workers who are owed arrears.

Minimum Wage: Employment Agencies

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recruitment agencies HM Revenue and Customs has identified that are breaching national minimum wage regulations by charging workers for insurance cover in the latest period for which figures are available; and what enforcement action HM Revenue and Customs has undertaken.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where we identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
	HMRC records information by Standard Industry Codes (SIC). Under the SIC division for Employment Activities, 20 investigations were completed in 2012-13 where workers were owed arrears. HMRC does not hold its management information in a format that will identify the specific reason for underpayment of minimum wage.
	Where arrears due to non-payment of the minimum wage are identified, a formal notice of underpayment is sent to the employer. HMRC contacts every employer whom they find has paid workers below the national minimum wage to confirm that they have paid the identified arrears to the workers. In addition, where arrears are found for five or less workers HMRC will contact all the workers to confirm payment by the employer. In cases involving arrears for more than five workers HMRC will contact a minimum sample of five workers to confirm payment by the employer.

Overseas Residence: Landlords

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in total tax receipts the Exchequer has received from non-UK resident landlords in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Poverty: Children

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of children who will be living in households with incomes below 60 per cent of contemporary median net disposable household income (a) before and (b) after housing costs in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15, (iii) 2015-16 and (iv) 2016-17.

Nicky Morgan: The Government does not forecast the number of children in households with incomes below 60% of contemporary median net disposable household income.
	The latest national statistics on households below average income (HBAI) are available for the period up to the end of 2011-12 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of HM Revenue and Customs' ability to meet the target of a five-fold increase in prosecutions announced in the 2010 Spending Review.

David Gauke: holding answer 8 October 2013
	Currently HMRC is on track to exceed its target for mass market evasion for the current year and have a high degree of confidence of achieving the challenging targets set in the 2010 Spending Review.
	The 2010 Spending Review set challenging prosecution targets for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to achieve over the following four years; from 165 in 2010-11 to in excess of 1,165 by the end of 2014-15. Prosecution statistics are as follows:
	
		
			  Prosecutions achieved 
			 2010-11 165 
			 2011-12 301 
			 2012-13 617 
			 2013-14 (1)406 
			 (1) Achieved by end of August 2013

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Nicky Morgan: I refer the hon. member to a previous answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 527W.

Tax Avoidance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the amount of tax revenue lost to the public purse owing to tax avoidance in the last 10 years.

David Gauke: The latest avoidance tax gap estimate, for £4.0 billion in 2011-12, was published on 11 October 2013 and can be found at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2013.pdf
	Paragraphs 1.18 and 1.19 of Measuring Tax Gaps 2013 set out the challenges in comparing avoidance estimates with similar analysis in previous publications.
	No recent estimate has been made of the avoidance tax gap in other years of the last 10 years.
	On the subject of tax avoidance, I can assure you that the Government are fully committed to tackling tax avoidance, taking all necessary steps to protect the Exchequer.
	Since 2010, the Government have introduced 33 changes to the law to close loopholes and tighten our legislation against tax avoidance. We recently introduced the UK's first General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) to tackle abusive avoidance schemes, and have consulted on measures to address high-risk promoters of avoidance schemes.
	The Government is also reinvesting almost £1 billion into HM Revenue and Customs to better tackle evasion, criminal attacks, unpaid tax debt and avoidance, which will result in additional compliance revenues of £9 billion per annum by the end of 2014-15.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the carbon price floor on (a) increasing investment in low carbon power generation and (b) the price of a tonne of carbon.

Nicky Morgan: The carbon price floor sets a minimum price for a tonne of carbon dioxide in the UK power sector. The carbon price floor starts at £16/tCO2 in 2013 and increases in a straight line to £30/tCO2 by 2020 (2009 prices). It does this by topping-up the EU Emissions Trading System carbon price with a UK only tax (the carbon price support rates) on fossil fuels used to generate electricity.

Universal Credit

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Ministers of his Department have attended meetings of the ministerial oversight group on universal credit in the last 12 months.

Nicky Morgan: As set out in the NAO report, “Universal Credit: early progress” from September 2013,
	http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/10132-001-Universal-credit.pdf
	Treasury Ministers are represented on the ministerial oversight group on universal credit and have attended meetings in the last 12 months.

USA

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in encouraging the American Government and Congress to approve the quota and governance reforms agreed by the International Monetary Fund Board of Governors in December 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The communiqué of the International Monetary and Financial Committee from the recent IMF annual meetings, and the accompanying statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, re-emphasized the urgent need to immediately ratify the 2010 IMF quota and governance reform and urged all members who have yet to ratify, to do so without delay.
	http://www.imf.org/external/np/cm/2013/101213.htm
	http://www.imf.org/External/AM/2013/imfc/statement/eng/gbr.pdf
	The UK remains committed to the delivery of the historic 2010 quota and governance package, which will maintain the legitimacy and credibility of the fund.

Welfare Tax Credits: Foreign Nationals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people currently claiming (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit were non-UK nationals at the point of being issued a National Insurance number.

David Gauke: This information is not available.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding the (a) Royal Opera House, (b) Southbank Centre, (c) National Theatre, (d) English National Opera, (e) British Museum, (f) Natural History Museum, (g) Imperial War Museum, (h) National Gallery, (i) Royal Museums Greenwich, (j) National Museums Liverpool, (k) National Portrait Group, (l) Science Museum Group, (m) Tate Gallery, (n) Wallace Collection, (o) Museum of Science and Industry Manchester, (p) Sir John Soane's Museum, (q) Horniman Museum and Gardens, (r) Geffrye Museum, (s) Royal Armouries and (t) British Library received or is forecast to receive from (i) her Department, (ii) Arts Council England and (iii) the National Lottery in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13, (D) 2013-14 and (E) 2014-15.

Helen Grant: DCMS provides direct funding for 13 national museums, the British Library, the Horniman Museum and Gardens and the Geffrye Museum. Funding allocated in each of the financial years from 2010-15 to these directly sponsored bodies is as follows:
	
		
			      £000 
			  (A) 2010-11 (B) 2011-12 (C) 2012-13 (D) 2013-14 (E) 2014-15 
			 (e) British Museum 46,343 56,051 45,378 43,862 43,315 
		
	
	
		
			 (f) Natural History Museum 48,586 46,480 45,760 44,314 43,869 
			 (g) Imperial War Museum 23,910 21,961 31,186 21,093 15,944 
			 (h) National Gallery 28,201 26,744 26,320 25,520 25,238 
			 (i) Royal Museums Greenwich 19,002 17,258 16,848 16,382 16,268 
			 (j) National Museums Liverpool 23,712 21,875 22,061 20,912 20,725 
			 (k) National Portrait Gallery 7,577 7,398 7,277 7,040 6,962 
			 (1) Science Museum Group 40,153 38,254 43,660 42,247 41,832 
			 (m) Tate Gallery 54,729 45,105 34,912 24,394 32,500 
			 (n) Wallace Collection 4,212 2,983 2,946 2,894 2,892 
			 (o) Museum of Science and Industry Manchester(1) 4,882 3,332 0 0 0 
			 (p) Sir John Soane's Museum 1,169 1,130 1,111 1,472 1,062 
			 (q) Horniman Museums and Gardens 4,518 4,385 4,199 4,158 4,008 
			 (r) Geffrye Museum 1,773 1,674 1,645 1,689 1,569 
			 (s) Royal Armouries 8,389 7,901 8,773 7,520 7,438 
			 (t) British Library 105,847 101,873 103,868 (2)92,494 98,821 
			 (1) The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester merged with the Science Museum Group in January 2012. (2) This figure includes the GIA initially allocated to the Public Lending Right before it was merged with the British Library. 
		
	
	DCMS also contributed a half-share towards the following awards made by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund in 2012-13:
	
		
			 Sponsored body DCMS/Wolfson Fund total award 2012-13 (£) 
			 British Museum 200,000 
			 Science Museum Group 100,000 
			 National Portrait Gallery 86,000 
			 Royal Armouries 100,000 
			 Wallace Collection 75,000 
		
	
	Information on how much funding is allocated to National Portfolio Organisations and Major Partner Museums funded by Arts Council England, at arm's length of Government, is publicly available on the Arts Council's website:
	http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/our-investment/investment-in-the-arts-2012-15/
	and
	http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/our-investment/funding-programmes/renaissance/renaissance-major-grants-programme/renaissance-major-partner-museums/
	Details of lottery grants awarded in particular years can be found on the Department's lottery grants database, which is searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	The database uses information on lottery grants supplied by the lottery distributors. It is not possible to determine how much lottery funding these institutions will receive in future years as the distributing bodies for lottery funds make their decisions independently of Government and this Department and in response to applications they receive.

Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many direct employees and contracted workers of her Department and its arm’s lengths bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage; and how many direct employees are on zero hours contracts.

Helen Grant: DCMS does hot have any direct employees who are (1) paid less than the rate, defined by the Living Wage Foundation, as a living wage and (2) on zero hours contract.
	DCMS is not responsible for setting pay levels for contracted workers. This is a matter for the organisations who employ them. However, we actively encourage employers to ensure that the living wage is paid and we would monitor these when contracts are being negotiated.
	We do not hold central records for our arm’s lengths bodies.

Internet

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how her Department co-ordinates with other Government Departments to develop internet governance policy.

Helen Grant: The Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries is a member of the Ad Hoc Ministerial Group on Cyber a cross-governmental committee where internet governance issues are discussed. He provides regular updates to committee colleagues.
	DCMS also chairs a Cross-Whitehall Steering Group on internet governance which co-ordinates Government policy on internet governance at senior official level.

Internet

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Brazil over that country's proposals for internet governance and ensuring a multi-stakeholder approach.

Helen Grant: DCMS Ministers have not yet had the opportunity to directly discuss with their Brazilian counterparts that country's recent proposals on internet governance.
	However, both DCMS and FCO officials continue to be in contact with their Brazilian counter-parts. We look forward to hearing more about the Brazilian proposals, while we work to sustain and strengthen the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance.

Internet

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to strengthen the development of internet governance from civil society.

Helen Grant: The Government strongly supports the multi-stakeholder model on Internet governance, founded on co-operation between government, business, civil society and international organisations.
	In the UK, DCMS has established the Multistakeholder Advisory Group on Internet Governance (MAGIG), which brings together experts from Government, industry and civil society to:
	collaborate on UK inputs to internet governance events;
	co-ordinate key messages and activities where helpful;
	share research/information/capacity where necessary; and
	comment on UK government policy on internet governance.
	DCMS is also a strong supporter of the UK Internet Governance Forum and the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF). I spoke at the UK Internet Governance Forum in London, and he has just returned from the global IGF in Indonesia, where there were nearly 1,500 delegates representing 111 different countries—where civil society was the highest represented stakeholder group represented at that forum. We welcome and promote such levels of participation in all the global, regional and local multi-stakeholder internet governance fora.

Olympic Games 2012

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1031W, on Olympic Games 2012, how many companies applying for an Olympic marketing licence have been rejected because (a) the company provides goods or services which fall in an excluded category and (b) it does not meet the eligibility criteria;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2013, OfficialReport, column 864W, on Olympic Games 2012, how many firms have submitted applications for Olympic marketing licences to date; and how many such applications have been (a) approved and (b) rejected.

Helen Grant: As at 5 November 2013 914 companies have submitted applications to the British Olympic Association for a licence under the Supplier Recognition Scheme for companies that supplied the 2012 Games. Of those 763 have been approved and 151 declined. Of the applications declined, 108 were from companies providing goods and services which fall in an excluded category, and 43 failed to meet the eligibility criteria.

Olympic Games 2012: Wales

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the contracts awarded to businesses in relation to the London 2012 Olympics were awarded to businesses operating within Wales.

Helen Grant: The independent meta-evaluation of the 2012 games' legacy and benefits, produced by a consortium led by Grant Thornton for my Department, includes data from the CompeteFor database as of April 2013. At that point the majority of contracts on the database were games-related and 78 (1.8% of the total) had been awarded to suppliers in Wales.
	I understand that one games-related contract, relating to design services for the Aquatic Centre, was awarded to Total CDM Solutions, which is based in the hon. Member's constituency.
	Economic modelling as part of the meta-evaluation estimated the total economic impact of the games for Wales, in terms of gross value added between 2004 and 2020, at between £570 million and £950 million, with total job years created over the same time period at between 20,300 and 31,400. This figure includes impacts throughout the supply chain and includes estimates of tourism, inward investment and exports secured because of the games.
	The Government has, with the British Olympic Association, established the supplier recognition scheme, which enables companies which have supplied the games to actively promote their involvement, including in business to business communications at home and abroad. This is another first for London 2012. Licences are provided free of charge by BOA to eligible companies. 11 licences have so far been issued to companies in Wales.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Helen Grant: The new staff that the Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since financial year from 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			  Fixed-term contract Short-term contract 
			 1 May 2010 to 31 March 2011 6 5 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 18 21 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 4 42 
			 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2013 1 9 
			 Total (1 May 2010 to date) 29 77

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Helen Grant: The National School of Government was closed in March 2012. The information requested is not held centrally.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 her Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

Helen Grant: The Department does not have any telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843.

Television

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the number of hours of television viewing per week in each socio-economic class.

Edward Vaizey: The regulator, Ofcom is responsible for gathering and analysing data on media consumption. The following table contains viewing habits by social grade from 2005 when this information was first recorded.
	
		
			 Average weekly hours of viewing (decimal hours) 
			  Adults (16+) Adults(1, 2, 3) Adults (4, 5, 6) 
			 2005 3.9 3.3 4.5 
			 2006 3.9 3.2 4.5 
			 2007 3.9 3.3 4.5 
			 2008 4.0 3.4 4.6 
			 2009 4.0 3.4 4.6 
			 2010 4.3 3.5 5.1 
			 2011 4.3 3.5 5.2 
			 2012 4.3 3.5 5.2 
			 (1) Upper middle class (2 )Middle class (3 )Lower middle class (4 )Skilled working class (5 )Working class (6 )Those at the lowest level of subsistence. Source: BARB

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on maximising the tourism benefits of the stages of the Giro d'Italia being held in Northern Ireland in 2014.

Helen Grant: I have not held any discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on maximising the tourism benefits of the stages of the Giro d'Italia being held in Northern Ireland in 2014. However, I would like to congratulate them on winning the right to stage the big start of this important cycling race next year, which will further support Northern Ireland's wonderful tourism offer.

JUSTICE

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many ICT packages are used by Essex Probation Service; what assessment he has made of how these will be merged across the service in time to successfully meet his timescale for his Transforming Rehabilitation proposals; what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with Essex Probation Service on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Currently Probation Trusts use both national and local ICT applications (ICT packages) to support their offender management work.
	The primary national applications are Oasys, which is used for the risk assessment of offenders and National Delius which is used for day-to-day offender case management. Both applications were introduced across all Trusts in England and Wales in 2013, and so do not need to be merged. They enable a consistent national approach to the use and recording of offender risk assessment and case management across England and Wales.
	Probation Trusts maintain, independently, a range of local ICT applications (for example for staff workload management, or victim liaison) to support offender management activities.
	The ICT work strand of the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) programme has audited and analyzed the range of Probation Trust local ICT applications. While there is no business requirement to merge these, a suite of test of breed local applications will be introduced progressively as part of the creation of the National Probation Service (NPS). This is being done to support consistency of practice and to enable rationalization.
	Once established, community rehabilitation companies (CRC) will continue to use existing local ICT applications pending those applications development or rationalization by the new providers.
	With respect to recent discussion held with Essex Probation Trust, I can confirm that officials within the NOMS Change team and ICT have had no discussions to date with Essex Probation Trust.

Young Offenders: Employment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of young offenders aged 16 and over have taken up full-time, permanent employment upon leaving custody;
	(2)  what proportion of young offenders aged over 16 have gone into full-time education upon leaving custody in the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is considering how best to improve the skills, education prospects and job opportunities of young people leaving custody as part of our forthcoming proposals to transform the youth secure estate.
	Local youth offending teams provide the Youth Justice Board with data, which they chiefly collect for local purposes, on the type and numbers of hours per week of education, training and employment (ETE) which young people who offend take up. However, it is not possible on the basis of this data to reliably estimate the proportion of these aged 16 and 17 who have taken up full-time education or permanent full-time employment, as distinct from education, training and employment combined.
	Table 1 shows the proportion of young people who have offended and are above statutory school age, who were receiving 16 or more hours of ETE at the end of their custodial licence period. Data are available from 2006-07 to 2012-13. Data prior to 2006-07 was not broken down by school-age and above-school-age categories.
	
		
			 Table 1: Proportion of young people above statutory school age in 16 or more hours/week of suitable education, training or employment at the end of the licence period of a custodial sentence 
			  Proportion (percentage) 
			 2006-07 51 
			 2007-08 56 
			 2008-09 60 
			 2009-10 62 
			 2010-11 63 
			 2011-12 53 
			 2012-13 52 
		
	
	The method of calculating figures on young people in ETE changed in 2011. Prior to 2011, youth offending teams routinely removed young people from their figures when the young person was unavailable to attend their placement (eg because of holidays, exam periods, or serving a further custodial sentence). The change in recording practices may explain the drop in the proportion of young people in ETE between 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate for young offenders was in each year since 2009.

Jeremy Wright: Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government. Earlier this year we consulted on our vision to transform youth custody to place education at the heart of youth custody. In this way young offenders in custody can be equipped with the skills, qualifications and self-discipline they need to re-engage with education, training or employment on release and stop offending. We intend shortly to publish our response to the consultation setting out our plans for transforming youth custody.
	Statistics on proven reoffending are published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis in the ‘Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’ at the following link:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-re-offending-quarterly-january-to-december-2011

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arms Trade: Egypt

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide a list of all military equipment sold to Egypt under a UK arms export licence since 2010 by (a) type of equipment and (b) organisation within Egypt to which it was sold.

Michael Fallon: This Department only holds information about licences granted and not about equipment actually supplied.
	Information about export licences issued between 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2013 is available in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls which are available to view on the Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics website at
	https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/eng/fox
	These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (eg Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences.
	The names of the companies/organisations who were granted these licences is exempt from disclosure because this information was provided in confidence and such information is commercially sensitive.
	Later export licence publications (from 2012) do provide some footnoting for some of the more sensitive looking licences, which describes the type of end user and/or the end use of the goods.

Bankruptcy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individuals were declared insolvent in each quarter in each of the last three years.

Jo Swinson: Official Statistics for individual insolvencies are presented in the Quarterly Insolvency Statistics, the latest publication of which covers Q1 2003 to Q3 2013 and can be found on the Insolvency Service website here:
	http://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/201311/index.htm
	Tables 2 and 6 cover bankruptcies, debt relief orders and individual voluntary arrangements in England and Wales and Northern Ireland respectively. Table 4 covers sequestrations and protected trust deeds in Scotland.

Concrete and Cement

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will give consideration to making a super-complaint to the Office of Fair Trading regarding the fairness of (a) supply and (b) pricing in the UK concrete and cement market.

Jo Swinson: Super-complaints can only be made to the Office of Fair Trading by certain bodies which represent consumers. While it is the role of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to designate which bodies can make a super-complaint he does not have the powers to bring one himself.
	In January 2012, the Office of Fair Trading made a reference to the Competition Commission for a market investigation into the supply or acquisition of aggregates, cement and ready-mix concrete. The Competition Commission published its provisional findings on 23 May 2013 and is required to publish its final report by 17 January 2014.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Clothing

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will discuss the listing of sites selling counterfeit bridalwear with internet search engine providers;
	(2)  if he will discuss the issue of availability of counterfeit bridalwear with (a) his EU counterparts and (b) the World Trade Organisation.

Jo Swinson: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 232W.
	As indicated my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie) would be pleased to discuss the issues concerned with industry representatives and following this will consider further discussions with relevant organisations as necessary.

EU External Trade: USA

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the public, (b) trades unions, (c) businesses and (d) consumer groups are consulted about ongoing negotiations for a transatlantic trade and investment partnership.

Michael Fallon: Since the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was announced at the Lough Erne G8 summit in June, Ministers—led by my noble Friend, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, and the Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office), my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), and officials have undertaken a programme of consultation and stakeholder engagement to help ensure we secure a good deal for the UK. We have received many written responses from business, trade associations, trade unions, consumer organisations, and other civil society representatives.
	In addition to officials' regular consultation with stakeholders on all EU Free Trade Agreements, the Department has also set up a consultative group of key TTIP stakeholders which meets regularly to inform the Government's approach to the negotiations. This group includes representatives from:
	cross-sector business representative bodies;
	sectoral trade associations;
	the Consumers' Association; and
	the TUC.
	We are considering the next stage of our consultation with all groups interested in the TTIP negotiations.

EU External Trade: USA

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to keep Parliament informed of developments in the negotiations for a transatlantic trade and investment partnership.

Michael Fallon: The Government is committed to keeping Parliament up to date throughout the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). My noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint will write to the right hon. Member—as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on EU-US trade and investment and to the European Scrutiny Committee Chairs of both Houses to update on significant developments. We will also consider statements and other steps to keep Parliament informed of developments as the negotiations progress.

Export Control Organisation

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of licence applications for the export of strategic goods and items are currently processed by his Department's Export Control Organisation within 60 days.

Michael Fallon: The proportion of licence applications processed within 60 days currently stands at 98.5% for the year to date since the target came into full effect (July 2013). The latest figure—for October 2013—is 98.9% (1563 out of 1,581 SIELs and SITCLs (standard individual export licences and standard individual trade control licences) completed.
	This is against a secondary performance target of 99% to be processed within 60 days. Performance against the Export Control Organisation's primary target (70% of licence applications completed in 20 working days) is running at 80.3%.

Graduates: Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the employment rate was of UK university graduates in each discipline in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions. Employment rates of undergraduate leavers by level, mode and subject discipline are published as part of Performance Indicators for Higher Education in the UK and are derived from the Destinations of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Time series from 2002/03 to 2011/12 are presented in Supplementary Table (SE1), and show the percentage of UK domiciled graduates in employment and/or further study six months after leaving higher education. Tables for each of the 10 years can be accessed by using the following link:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view &id=2071&ltemid=141
	Information referring to graduates in the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the HESA in summer 2014.

Insolvency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses were declared insolvent in each quarter in each of the last three years.

Jo Swinson: Official Statistics for corporate insolvencies are presented in the Quarterly Insolvency Statistics, the latest publication of which covers Q1 2003 to Q3 2013 and can be found on the Insolvency Service website here:
	http://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/201311/index.htm
	Tables 1, 4 and 6 cover liquidation in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively; Tables 3 and 5 cover administrations, receiverships and company voluntary arrangements in England and Wales and Scotland, respectively. Official Statistics for administrations in Northern Ireland are not available.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information he holds on how many post offices have transferred to the locals model; and what assessment he has made of whether the Government's targets on transformation will be met in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014.

Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 398W. As of 1 November 2013, 698 branches had signed binding contracts to convert to the local operating model, with 507 having already converted. In total, as of the same date, 2,113 branches have signed contracts to convert under the modernisation programmes, with 1,274 of those having completed the conversion process.
	Post Office Ltd, which is responsible for delivering the Network Transformation programme, exceeded the number of expected conversions in 2012/13, with 1,450 branches signing binding contracts to convert. Progress continues to be made in the current financial year, which ends 31 March 2014 and is the subject of continuing monitoring and review.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 365W, on Regional Growth Fund, on what date the last agreed offer was finalised under round two of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: The last agreed offer under Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) was finalised on 23 August 2013.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of winning bidders under round four of the Regional Growth Fund (a) applied for funding and (b) received funding under previous rounds of the Regional Growth Fund;
	(2)  what proportion of funds allocated under round four of the regional growth fund have been allocated to bidders which (a) applied for funds and (b) received funding under previous rounds of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: 102 projects and programmes were selected for conditional Regional Growth Fund (RGF) support in Round 4 of the RGF. 48% of Round 4 bidders applied in previous RGF bidding rounds and 36% received funding under previous RGF rounds according to bid documents.
	Selected bids from Round 4 have not yet been finalised. Bidders have until January 2014 to finalise their awards.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications have been considered for funds under the Exceptional Regional Growth Fund to date; how many awards of such funds have been allocated; what the total monetary value is of such awards made to date; and what funds remain unallocated under the exceptional regional growth fund for (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Michael Fallon: 12 applications have been considered for Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF) awards. Eight of these applications are in possession of conditional offers and the total allocated is close to £50 million, subject to due diligence. To ensure a flexible response to eRGF awards which are urgent, exceptional cases, they are funded from existing Regional Growth Fund (RGF) budgets, rather than through a separate allocation. This funding is available either because a previously selected bidder has withdrawn their project, or because during the award negotiation, both parties agree to a lower RGF offer than was originally requested. In both instances, the RGF money is recycled back into the fund, so no funding lies unutilised waiting for eRGF bids.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been paid to beneficiaries under the Regional Growth Fund to date.

Michael Fallon: The Regional Growth Fund has paid £816 million to programmes and projects to date. The pace of drawing down Government funding is dictated by a beneficiary's needs. Companies do not need the money in their bank accounts in order for an RGF offer to make a difference—just having our support can be enough to get projects started and to trigger private investment that also drives up employment. Many projects have been able to start work as soon as they received confirmation of RGF funding. RGF money paid to beneficiaries has generated £1.12 billion of private sector investment to date.

Royal Mail

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people received shares in Royal Mail Group Ltd at the recent flotation; how much was retained due to the difference in the £750 worth of shares applied for and the £749.10 given in shares; and what happened to the amount retained.

Michael Fallon: Over 700,000 members of the public and Royal Mail employees purchased shares through the Royal Mail Share Offer. As stated in the Prospectus, amounts less than the Offer Price of one Ordinary Share have not been refunded but will be given to charity. Approximately £70,000 will be donated to the British Postal Museum and Archive.

Royal Mail

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will discuss with the Board of Royal Mail Group Ltd on the possibility of offering dividend reinvestment plans to promote continued investment by small shareholders.

Michael Fallon: The introduction of dividend reinvestment plans is a matter for Royal Mail in consultation with all its shareholders. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no plans to discuss this with the Royal Mail plc Board.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

Jo Swinson: Scottish Government Ministers have not sought any meetings or discussions with me or my ministerial colleagues regarding their White Paper on Independence.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for civil service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Jo Swinson: BIS has used Sunningdale Park for the following civil service events since May 2010.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Annual Prosecutors Conference 1,665 3,010 — 
			 Employment Law Conference 390 585 — 
			 BIS Team Events (3) — 16,000 — 
			 Assessment Centre — 14,250 — 
			 Fast Stream Induction — 990 1,155

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Betting Shops

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the use of existing local authority powers to prevent the growth of betting shops on high streets; and how existing betting shops might be removed.

Brandon Lewis: Local authorities already have a range of powers available in regard to betting shops. Where there are permitted development rights to allow change of use a local planning authority can consult on and make an article 4 direction where there is an adverse impact on local amenity. For example, the London borough of Barking and Dagenham has been consulting on an Article 4 Direction and associated supplementary planning guidance to address the proliferation of betting shops in the local area. A betting shop must comply with its licensing conditions, and where they are breached the local licensing authority has powers to intervene including removing the licence to operate.

Bromley London Borough Council (Crystal Palace) Act 1990

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received from (a) the Mayor of London and (b) the London Borough of Bromley regarding the Bromley London Borough Council (Crystal Palace) Act 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Officials from my Department have met with representatives from the Greater London Authority and the London borough of Bromley on several occasions to discuss the initial proposals to recreate the Crystal Palace.
	These discussions have included consideration of the existing legislation governing the Crystal Palace Park, including the Bromley London Borough Council (Crystal Palace) Act 1990, and what type of legislative options might be needed to enable the rebuilding of the Crystal Palace. My officials will examine these issues further over the coming months, once the ZhongRong Group have developed more detailed plans and consulted the public on these.
	More broadly, I also refer the hon. Member to the speech by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford (Nick Boles), given on 29 October 2013, Official Report, columns 898-900.

Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with local authorities regarding low-demand housing and unpopular neighbourhoods.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the comprehensive written ministerial statement of 10 May 2013, Official Report, column 13-14WS.

Housing: West Midlands

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to support more house building in the West Midlands.

Kris Hopkins: The Government is providing a wide range of support for new house building in England. These include supporting homebuyers, investing in new affordable housing—including in the private rented sector, and reforming the planning system. The results of these programmes are clear to see.
	Housing supply is now at its highest since the end of the unsustainable housing boom in 2008, with 334,000 new homes built over the last three years. In the most recent quarter, housing starts are up by 33% on last year (29,510 in the June Quarter 2013).
	The numbers of first-time buyers are at a five-year high, while the number of repossessions is at it lowest level since 2007, and mortgage arrears are at their lowest since 2008.
	Over 150,000 affordable homes have been delivered in England over the last three years, thanks to the wider affordable housing programmes. Over 84,000 homes .have already been delivered under the current programme which invests £19.5 billion of public and private funding on affordable housing over this spending review period.
	The rate of affordable house-building will soon be at the highest level for two decades. A further £23.3 billion will deliver 165,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2018.
	More homes are being approved through planning. Having swept away the previous Government's top-down targets and reduced red tape, the latest quarterly figures show a 45% year-on-year increase in the number of planning approvals for new homes in the second quarter of 2013. In the year to June 2013 88% of planning applications were approved, a 10 year high.
	Since the launch of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme in April according to figures held by the Homes and Communities Agency there have been 15,410 reservations for new build homes. This scheme will further support the housing market, providing housebuilders with the confidence to increase output further.
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 31-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region. Local authority figures from which regional estimates can be calculated can be found in Live Tables 253 and 253a at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Local Plans

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of time is for approval of local plans submitted by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: The time taken to examine the plan will vary according to the complexity of the issues raised and the level of objection. Plan examinations have been completed in eight months but can take longer depending on their complexity and the quality of underpinning evidence. Examination of a local plan requires planning inspectors to check carefully that local authorities have made an objective assessment of local needs and that their draft local plan makes adequate provision for sustainable development to meet those needs.

Non-domestic Rates

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many small businesses are in receipt of 100 per cent small business rate relief.

Brandon Lewis: Data collected as at 31 December 2010 showed that 296,000 hereditaments in England were in receipt of 100% small business rate relief.
	Data collected earlier this year are currently being validated and will be published in the autumn.
	We estimate that approximately half a million business in England are benefiting from small business rate relief, with approximately a third of a million paying no rates at all.

Non-domestic Rates

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the small business sector of the expiry of the doubling of small business rate relief in March 2014;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of freezing business rates in 2014-15 for hereditaments with a rateable value of between (a) £6,001 to £18,000 and (b) £6,001 to £25,000 in London.

Brandon Lewis: We keep all taxes, including business rates, under review. The small business rate relief scheme will be considered at Autumn Statement 2013.

Non-domestic Rates: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total value of business rates levied in Barrow and Furness constituency was in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Details of the amount of non-domestic rates collectable from ratepayers in the Barrow in Furness borough council area in respect of each of the last five years are shown in the following table. The figures shown are the amount the authority would have collected in the year if everyone liable for non-domestic rates in that year had paid. This includes not only those who are liable to pay for the whole year but also those who are liable to pay for part of the year and takes account of the amount of relief given.
	
		
			 £000 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Barrow in Furness 20,294 20,599 20,924 21,985 22,713 
		
	
	This information is contained in statistical releases on collection rates of council tax and non-domestic rates published on the DCLG part of the .gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-tax-statistics
	The data are as reported by billing authorities on the annual Quarterly collection rates of council tax (QRC4) return. Data are not collected at a constituency level.
	Year-on-year changes reflect a number of factors such as: changes in the base (e.g. the construction of new buildings); the retail prices index adjustment to annual bills; and variations in levels of relief granted.
	The Government's commitment to the annual retail prices index cap means that there has been no real terms increase in business rates since 1990. We have also taken a number of steps on business rates. We have: temporarily doubled the level of small business rate relief for a further year—making three and a half years in total—so that the higher level of relief will apply throughout 2013-14; announced a new measure which will mean that empty new builds will be exempt from empty property rates for up to 18 months up to state aid limits between 1 October 2013 and 31 October 2016; simplified the process for claiming small business rate relief by removing red tape; introduced business rate relief in the Enterprise Zones; waived £175 million of backdated business rates demands levied on businesses, including some in ports; and given local authorities wide ranging, discretionary powers to grant business rates discounts.

Planning Permission

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that planning inspectorates consider the importance of localism when assessing local plans.

Nicholas Boles: We have put local plans at the centre of the planning system as the means for local people and local firms to shape how and where development should and should not take place.
	The Localism Act has abolished top-down regional strategies and limited the discretion of planning inspectors to insert their own wording into local plans. It also ensures that rather than focussing on reporting progress in making plans to central Government, local authorities focus on reporting progress to local communities.
	During the inquiry into the draft Local Plan, planning inspectors are expected to check carefully that local authorities have made an objective assessment of local needs and that their draft Local Plan makes adequate provision for sustainable development to meet those needs.
	A local authority can draft its plan to reflect local opinions on how and where to meet those needs. The inspectors should rigorously assess the evidence to ensure it is objective and listen carefully to all sections of the community before making a judgment on that evidence.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: As outlined in the answer of 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 110W, the Labour Government spent £26 million of public funds on research reports which were never published, which we have subsequently made public as part of our transparency agenda. This commissioning was an astonishing waste of taxpayers' money. For clarity, I am excluding such reports from the scope of this answer, along with any external reports which were commissioned under the last administration but where the external research concluded and was subsequently published after May 2010.
	The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Publication date Title Subject Cost (£)(1) Author or organisation 
			 2013     
			 20 August Housing standards review: towards more sustainable homes Independent review of the current system of building regulations and standards for housing in England and to advise on how the regulatory system can be improved to work more efficiently. This technical work is helping deliver significant deregulatory benefits. 2,465 Housing standards review panel (assorted members) 
			 17 May Facing the future Independent review of efficiency and operations in fire and rescue authorities in England. The Government will be responding in due course, and will help save taxpayers’ money and support frontline fire services. 0 Sir Ken Knight CBE QFSM FIFireE 
			 16 May Future of local public audits: report by FTI Consulting Options for the transfer of the Audit Commission's in-house audit practice to the private sector. This report has contributed to the £1.2 billion net saving from the abolition of the Audit Commission regime over 10 years. 111,573 FTI Consulting Limited 
			 2012     
			 21 December External review of government planning practice guidance Conclusions and recommendations of the review of planning practice guidance. This technical work is helping simplify the planning system and make it more accessible. (2)3,199 Lord Matthew Taylor of Goss Moor and panel members 
			 23 August Private rented homes: review of the barriers to institutional investment Report of the results of Montague's review of the barriers to institutional investment in private rented homes. This report has assisted the Government in boosting the supply of private rented homes. 0 Sir Adrian Montague 
			 2011     
			 13 December The Portas review: the future of our high streets This report sets out Mary Portas' independent analysis of the decline of the high street. This report has helped the Government's ongoing work to support town centres. (3)— Mary Portas 
			 2010     
			 20 December Fire futures reports The four sector-led reports, put forward a range of ideas on how the fire and rescue sector can work together to address current and future challenges and presents new models and wide-ranging options for delivering fire and rescue services. The reports are: “Role of the fire and rescue service” ; “Efficiency, effectiveness and productivity”; “Localism and accountability”; “National interests”. 0 Fire Futures steering group (assorted members) 
		
	
	
		
			 30 September Coalfields regeneration review This report of the Coalfields Regeneration Review Board, led by Michael Clapham. The review considered how government can best support regeneration of the former mining communities. 0 Coalfields Regeneration Review Board, led by Michael Clapham 
			 (1) Figures exclude in-house staffing and in-house digital publication costs. (2)( )For reasonable expenses for panel members’ publication costs. (3)Supported through BIS. 
		
	
	In addition, the Department funds technical research on the sales and reserves of aggregates in different parts of England, to support the work of Aggregates Working Parties. The costs of this are met from the overall funding for these working parties; the research is available and listed on gov.uk.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: Since May 2010 my Department has employed (a) 89 new staff on fixed-term contracts, and employed (b) 76 people on short-term contracts as either paid interns or apprentices.
	Fixed term contracts for short-term or specialist roles often represent better value for money for taxpayers than permanent contracts or hiring consultancy firms.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Harrow West (Mr Thomas) on 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 706W.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance stations there were in each region in (a) May 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

Autism

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of an innovation fund to assist the development of autism services;
	(2)  what assessment he has made on how the NHS is complying with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on diagnosing and managing adults with autism.

Norman Lamb: As part of their Push for Action campaign the National Autistic Society proposed that there should be an innovation fund to assist the development of autism services, and we will consider this during the current review of the 2010 Adult Autism Strategy which will be completed by the end of March 2014.
	The Department does not monitor compliance against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's clinical guidelines as they represent best practice and are not mandatory. It is however NHS England's priority to ensure high quality care for all and to secure the best possible outcomes for patients.

Cancer: Drugs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the likely demand for medicines funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The management of the Cancer Drugs Fund is a matter for NHS England. NHS England has advised that forecasting arrangements are in place, and the Department has made no separate assessment of demand levels for 2013-14.
	For subsequent years, the Government announced on 28 September 2013 that a further £400 million will be made available to extend the fund to the end of March 2016.
	Information published by NHS England shows that between 1 April and 30 September 2013, 8,686 patients benefited from the Cancer Drugs Fund, bringing the total to over 38,000 since October 2010. Further information can be found on NHS England's website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Clinical Trials

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the recommendations submitted by the umbrella group AllTrials to the European Medicines Agency consultation on transparency of clinical trials;
	(2)  what his policy is on greater clinical trial transparency; and whether his Department has contributed to the European Medicines Agency consultation into the transparency of clinical trials.

Daniel Poulter: The Government is committed to transparency in the area of clinical trials. It is important for patients, the public, researchers and the national health service and can be achieved through ensuring trial registration and outcome publication as well as making data available through the appropriate channels. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on behalf of the Government submitted a response to the European Medicines Agency's consultation on publication and access to clinical trials data.
	We have not yet reviewed the recommendations submitted by All Trials to the consultation. The Government has engaged in this initiative and will continue to do so as this progresses in the future.

Croydon Primary Care Trust

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 147, on NHS accountability, when he expects to respond to the report from the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee regarding the deficit for Croydon's Primary Care Trust in financial year 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), will be replying to Councillor Jason Cummings, the chair of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, this week.
	The report of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee contained three recommendations for the Department. Two of these we were pleased to accept, as they clarified existing powers.
	The third recommendation was that the Secretary of State use his powers to compel the former chief executive of the former Croydon Primary Care Trust (PCT) to provide evidence to the Committee.
	However, employees attend before local authorities and answer questions on behalf of the relevant body, not in a personal capacity. Accordingly, the regulations do not impose duties on people who are no longer employees of NHS bodies. Where employees of NHS bodies have moved on, we would expect the relevant body to have appropriate handover arrangements and to identify another suitable person to attend. This did indeed happen in Croydon, where the chief executive of the PCT at the time of the hearing did appear before the Committee.
	The Department will shortly be publishing new guidance to support local government scrutiny functions by describing the new powers and duties provided for by the Local Authorities (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013. The guidance will clarify the position in regard of these issues.

Domestic Accidents: Older People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what (a) proportion and (b) number of elderly people have attended exercise classes on fall prevention in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what research his Department has commissioned on the effect of fall prevention exercises on the prevalence of hip fractures in the elderly;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on fall prevention exercises in each year for which data is available;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of the comparative effectiveness of fall prevention exercise regimes;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of fall prevention exercises in reducing hip fractures in the elderly.

Norman Lamb: The Government believes that falls prevention strategies are best developed locally so as to reflect the needs of local communities and to make best use of local infrastructure, expertise and other assets. Local authorities would take the lead in commissioning services to support falls prevention, working in partnership with local clinical commissioning groups, general practitioner practices and acute hospitals, and as an integral part of the health and well-being strategies overseen by local health and well-being boards.
	The Department has strengthened the power and responsibility of local authorities by extending their remit to public health and by providing a total of £5.46 billion of ring-fenced funding over two years (2013-14 and 2014-15).
	The Department has also made provision to go further by introducing a duty in the Care Bill on local authorities to provide or commission services that prevent, delay or reduce adults or carers' needs for care and support. Such services could promote independence, and prevent people reaching crisis point in their area.
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funding a £2.5 million trial looking at the comparative effectiveness of advice, exercise and a multi-factorial fall prevention programme on peripheral fractures among older people living in the community. The Prevention of Fall Injury Trial is funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and the report of the trial is expected to be published in March 2016. The trial is sufficiently large to determine whether falls prevention can reduce fractures, not simply falls, and to provide insight into approaches which are most effective, cost-effective and acceptable to the population, it will provide answers that can be used by primary care practices to determine how they best advise and refer patients who are at risk of falling, but may not yet have had a fall.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published revised guidance on falls prevention in June 2013, which includes evidence as to the effectiveness of exercise programmes. NICE guidelines are based on thorough assessment of the available evidence and are developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. This document is available at:
	www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/14181/64088/64088.pdf
	This follows up the Falls and Fractures Commissioning Toolkit published in 2010 and contains relevant information:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/dh_103146
	In addition, we have promised to commission development of a national library of evidence on prevention to support local authorities in carrying out their duties.
	The Department does not collect information centrally on exercise programmes or any other activity by local authorities or local national health service bodies with regard to falls prevention. However, we do collect and publish information on relevant outcomes as part of the Public Health Outcomes Framework and NHS Outcomes Framework, including data on: injuries due to falls in people aged 65 and over; hip fractures in people aged 65 and over; improving recovery from fragility fractures; and, helping older people to recover their independence after illness or injury.
	This information is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-lives-healthy-people-improving-outcomes-and-supporting-transparency
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-outcomes-framework-2013-to-2014

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many staff who work for the East and North Herts NHS Trust earned between (a) £50,000 and £66,000, (b) £67,000 to £99,000 and (c) £100,000 or more in the last financial year;
	(2)  how many staff who work for the East and North Herts Clinical Commissioning Group earned (a) between £50,000 and £66,000, (b) between £67,000 and £99,000 and (c) £100,000 or more in the last financial year.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. The figures in the following table are derived from basic pay, not all earnings. Estimates are calculated from payments made in one month (June 2013) multiplied by 12 to represent the year's salary.
	
		
			 National health service hospital and community health service (HCHS) workforce statistics: provisional statistics: all staff in East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust and East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)—Headcount and selected basic pay per person 
			 Headcount 
			  Published staff in post—all NHS staff headcount June 2013 Earnings sample size for all NHS staff Mean annual basic pay between greater than or equal to £50,000 and less than £67,000 Mean annual basic pay between greater than or equal to £67,000 and less than £100,000 Mean annual basic pay greater than or equal to £100,000 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 5,441 5,397 86 281 28 
			 East and North Hertfordshire CCG 31 30 2 6 3 
			 Notes: 1. Mean annual basic pay per person is the mean amount of basic pay paid per person in a 12-month period. 2. The figures show the number of staff who would earn over a specific amount if their basic pay for the stated month when annualised (x12) and meets the criteria. 3. “All NHS staff headcount" figures are based on data from the workforce composition area of Electronic Staff Record (ESR). 4. "Earnings sample size for all NHS staff", "Mean annual basic pay between greater than or equal to £50,000 and less than £67,000", "Mean annual basic pay between greater than or equal to £67,000 and less than £100,000" and "Mean annual basic pay greater than or equal to £100,000" are based on data from the Payroll Business area in ESR. 5. Figures in the table are provisional NHS staff in post and provisional and experimental NHS staff earnings estimates. 6. Figures do not include primary care staff or bank staff. 7. Earnings figures rounded to the nearest pound. 8. Earnings figures represent payments made using the ESR system to NHS Staff who are employed and directly paid by NHS organisations. 9. Figures based on data from all English NHS organisations who are using ESR. 10. Earnings figures are based on staff with contracted hours more than zero. Bank staff that typically have no contracted hours are not included in these figures. 11. The sample sizes quoted do not represent the true number of contracted staff in each group. See “Staff in post” figures. 12. The sample sizes quoted are an average of each of the monthly sample sizes used in each staff group and excludes staff who are not being paid in that month, e.g. staff on maternity or career breaks, or those that do not meet the publication validations. 13. As from 21 July 2010 the HSCIC has published experimental, provisional monthly NHS workforce data (experimental tag has been removed from 24 April 2012). 14. As expected with provisional data, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. 15. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the ESR (i.e. it does not include primary care staff or bank staff). 16. There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). 17. This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/provisionalmonthlyhchsworkforce 18. Data quality: The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data, but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), Provisional National Health Service (HCHS) workforce statistics.

EU External Trade: USA

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that provision of NHS services will not be open to legal challenge as a result of the proposed transatlantic trade and investment partnership;
	(2)  whether the NHS will be exempt from any competition and investment provisions agreed as part of a transatlantic trade and investment partnership.

Jane Ellison: The United Kingdom has already undertaken some long-standing commitments at the multilateral level in terms of access to the health sector through the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS, 1995). The UK's aim in relation to health services in the Free Trade Agreements negotiations, including the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP), is to maintain commitments that are broadly in line with our existing obligations under the GATS.
	The TTIP will not affect the policy that it is for national health service commissioners to take decisions on the competitive tendering of services, in the best interests of their patients, consistent with the NHS Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition Regulations.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the relationship between social class and (a) smoking, (b) obesity and (c) physical activity levels.

Daniel Poulter: The Department funds a wide range of research on socioeconomic factors relating to smoking, obesity and physical activity.
	The Department funds the Public Health Research Consortium (PHRC), which brings together senior researchers from 11 United Kingdom institutions in a new integrated programme of research, with the aim of strengthening the evidence base for interventions to improve health, with a strong emphasis on tackling socioeconomic inequalities in health.
	One project by the PHRC has included study of regional and socioeconomic status differences in smoking prevalence, consumption and cessation, and another project has studied the changing social patterning of obesity. Reports of these projects are available on the PHRC website at:
	http://phrc.lshtm.ac.uk/project_2005-2011_a910r.html
	and:
	http://phrc.lshtm.ac.uk/project_2005-2011_b106.html
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funding the NIHR Public Health Research programme. This programme includes a current project on ‘Tackling inequalities in obesity: How effective are public health interventions at reducing socio-economic inequalities in obesity amongst children and adults?’
	The Department is a funding partner in the National Prevention Research Initiative (NPRI). The NPRI supported research published recently in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity on socioeconomic position and childhood sedentary time:
	www.ijbnpa.org/content/10/1/105

Health Services: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide additional funding to NHS Trusts in the North East to develop resilience to increased pressures on accident and emergency departments during winter.

Jane Ellison: Decisions on which high risk trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA), and were made on the basis of a number of factors including risk to delivery of the accident and emergency (A&E) standard, local circumstances and the needs of local populations.
	Every urgent care working group, including those in the North-East, have presented specific plans for initiatives to alleviate pressures on local A&E departments, and NHS England, Monitor and the NHS TDA are working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter. The situation remains under constant review.

Hip Replacements: Older People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what was the cost to the public purse of repairing broken hips in the elderly in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many elderly people suffered a broken hip following a fall in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: Information on the cost to the public purse of repairing broken hips in the elderly is not reported separately to the Department.
	Data on the number of people aged 65 and over who suffered a hip fracture following a fall in each of the last 10 years is in the following tables.
	
		
			 The count of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary diagnosis(2) of hip fracture where the start age is 65 or above, in English NHS hospitals, 2003-04 to 2012-13 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Year 
			 Age (years) 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 65-69 1,995 1,939 2,074 1,992 2,012 2,110 2,133 2,218 2,335 2,453 
			 70-74 4,072 3,859 3,757 3,593 3,659 3,778 3,823 3,747 3,721 3,641 
			 75-79 7,447 7,099 7,216 7,201 7,081 6,791 6,948 6,721 6,536 6,284 
			 80-84 11,291 11,861 11,531 11,077 11,018 10,584 10,773 10,495 10,665 10,414 
			 85-89 9,929 9,440 10,454 10,907 11,573 12,165 12,620 12,007 11,779 11,419 
			 90-120 8,470 8,991 9,326 8,988 9,101 8,682 8,779 9,323 9,589 9,809 
		
	
	
		
			 The count of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary diagnosis(2) of hip fracture and with an external cause of fall where the start age is 65 or above, in English NHS hospitals, 2003-04 to 2012-13 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Year 
			 Age (years) 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 65-69 1,485 1,517 1,549 1,563 1,572 1,661 1,727 1,785 1,864 2,019 
			 70-74 3,089 2,945 2,809 2,801 2,877 2,974 3,091 3,074 3,042 2,972 
			 75-79 5,630 5,370 5,405 5,459 5,564 5,342 5,577 5,403 5,278 5,055 
			 80-84 8,587 8,868 8,595 8,539 8,643 8,232 8,523 8,408 8,497 8,399 
		
	
	
		
			 85-89 7,507 7,127 7,844 8,475 9,031 9,553 10,079 9,569 9,412 9,243 
			 90-120 6,558 6,862 7,071 6,983 7,190 6,878 7,009 7,495 7,733 7,981 
			 (1)Finished Admission Episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. (2)Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. The code used to calculate the total number of FAE's with a primary diagnosis of hip fracture was S72.0. Codes W00-W19 were used in addition to S72.0 to retrieve the total number of FAE's with a primary diagnosis of hip fracture where there was an external cause of fall. Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Hospital Beds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds there were in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Average daily number of available beds in England 
			  Average daily number of beds open overnight Average daily number of beds open day only 
			 2010-11 142,466 11,252 
			 2011-12 138,572 11,296 
			 2012-13 136,790 11,744 
			 Source: NHS England KH03 return.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in each of the last seven years.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of cancelled elective operations (England) 
			 2006-07 52,005 
			 2007-08 57,382 
			 2008-09 63,644 
			 2009-10 62,296 
			 2010-11 58,295 
			 2011-12 57,087 
			 2012-13 63,517 
			 Source: NHS England Cancelled Elective Operations data

Hypertension: Drugs

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the value of the drug Chlortalidone in treating hypertension; and on what grounds the decision to withdraw Chlortalidone from the NHS was made.

Norman Lamb: Chlortalidone tablets, marketed as Hygroton, have not been withdrawn from the United Kingdom market, but they are currently out of stock due to the closure of the UK manufacturing site. The Department is aware of the situation and is in discussion with the company. The manufacturer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, is experiencing difficulty in identifying an alternative manufacturing site capable of producing the medicine to the required standards. As a result, the company is currently not in a position to confirm a date for resupply. Alternative medicines are available and which medicine is appropriate will depend on the condition to be treated. This is a matter for discussion between the doctor and his or her patient.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's clinical guideline on the clinical management of primary hypertension in adults (CG127), published in August 2011, recommends a thiazide-like diuretic (such as Chlortalidone) as a treatment option if diuretic treatment is to be initiated or changed.

Influenza: Vaccination

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department has spent on promoting free winter influenza vaccinations in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The estimated total cost of promoting the influenza vaccination programme in England in each of the last five seasons is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Influenza season Total cost (£) 
			 2008-09 1,496,000 
			 2009-10 258,000 
			 2010-11 2,000 
			 2011-12 63,425 
			 2012-13 472,202 
			 Notes: 1. The Department ran a national advertising campaign annually up to and including 2008-09. 2. In 2009-10 the swine flu pandemic became the focus of campaign activity. 3. In 2010-11 and 2011-12 spending on flu communications was reduced due to constrained public spending and lack of evidence that paid-for advertising campaigns are effective in stimulating uptake. 4. From 1 April 2013, Public Health England took over responsibility for public health campaigns.

Maternity Services

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department gives on the best size of maternity units in England in terms of the number of births handled each year;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the acceptable safe travel time for women in labour.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not give guidance on the best size of maternity units in England in terms of the number of births handled each year. Maternity providers and commissioners should engage with the local population to ensure that maternity services are developed to meet local needs.
	The Department has not made any assessment of the acceptable safe travel home for women in labour. In planning for birth, women should discuss with their midwife or health professional their choice of place of birth and any associated risks in order to make an informed decision about where they access care.

Medical Records

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission observational research using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Group to assess the (a) effectiveness of AEDs and (b) prevalence of side effects in (i) biological offspring and (ii) other populations.

Daniel Poulter: The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Group would be able to undertake research studies into the effectiveness of, and prevalence of side effects in the use of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).
	AEDs are prescribed in primary care, secondary care and specialist care centres. A CPRD study would be possible in AEDs prescribed in primary care (whether initiated in primary care or as follow on care from specialist treatment). This would be dependent on there being sufficient data for a given AED to enable a study to be reliable. The initial work the CPRD team would propose would be to undertake some analysis to assess the feasibility of the study, and inform the study design which would be set out in its protocol.
	It is likely that analysis of side effects in those prescribed AEDs could be undertaken using the CPRD data resources. It may also be possible to undertake an assessment of side effects in the offspring of mothers prescribed AEDs. However, it will not be possible to include analysis of side effects in the offspring of fathers prescribed AEDs. This is because there is no method to link fathers and their offspring in an anonymised dataset like the CPRD GOLD primary care data. This is due to the fact that there is only very rarely an entry in a father's medical record that he has been or is about to be father to a child. As a result it is not possible to link fathers' records with those of their offspring.

Medical Records

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to link biological parent medical notes to those of their offspring.

Daniel Poulter: The Clinical Practice Research Datalink has been linking anonymised patient data of mothers to their offspring for several years. A probabilistic matching exercise is undertaken each month using a multi-step matching algorithm to provide a good level of confidence in the accuracy of the matching. Any records where there is uncertainty over the accuracy of the link are excluded. This 'mother-baby link' is available for protocol controlled research studies for medical and health research purposes. It has been available in its current form since 2010.
	It is only possible to undertake a matching exercise between mothers and their offspring. Linkage between fathers and their offspring is not possible as there is only very rarely an entry in the fathers' medical records to record that they are or are about to be the father of a child.

Medical Treatments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which treatments the NHS has ended funding since May 2010.

Jane Ellison: Local commissioners are responsible for delivering the vast majority of NHS services and treatments for their resident populations in England. Prior to 1 April these decisions were the responsibility of primary care trusts and now they are the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
	In 2013-14 the Department allocated £95.6 billion of overall funding to NHS England for NHS services. From within this overall envelope, recurrent revenue allocations are made to CCGs by NHS England on the basis of a weighted capitation formula used to determine CCG's share of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. It is for CCGs to decide how to use their funding to commission services and treatments to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
	The NHS Constitution sets out a number of important rights for patients regarding the provision of treatment, including “the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, if your doctor says they are right for you”, and, “the right to expect local decisions on funding of other drugs and treatments to be made rationally and following a proper consideration of the evidence”.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and if he will publish the results of that assessment.

Daniel Poulter: The Department assesses the performance of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the ‘Agency’) in a number of ways. These include annual and quarterly accountability meetings and regular informal contact with the Agency to discuss business policy.
	The Department also attends key governance meetings such at the Risk Assurance and Audit Committee and the monthly Agency Board meetings. The Department does not publish a formal assessment of the Agency's performance, but the Agency's Key Performance Indicators for the year ahead are published in their annual business plan:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/es-policy/documents/publication/con261797.pdf
	and their performance against these targets are published in the annual report and accounts:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/comms-ic/documents/websiteresources/con297456.pdf
	The Secretary of State for Health approves the business plan and annual accounts and the annual account is then laid in Parliament.

Mental Health Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to work with NHS bodies, local authorities, police and other agencies to (a) prevent people with mental health problems becoming victims of crime and (b) support people with mental health problems who are victims of crime.

Norman Lamb: The Department is working with the Ministry of Justice to establish ways in which victims of crime with mental health problems can receive the most appropriate support.
	We are investing up to £16 million in the Time to Change programme to empower people to talk about mental health problems and to tackle the discrimination they face.

Multiple Sclerosis: Drugs

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on how many NHS trusts are currently prescribing nabiximols (Sativex).

Norman Lamb: Nabiximols is defined in the British National Formulary Section 10.2.2 Skeletal muscle relaxants, as a cannabis extract.
	For primary care, in the first quarter of the 2013-14 year (April to June 2013), nabiximols was prescribed by 136 of the total 211 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England. A total of 570 prescription items were dispensed with a total net ingredient cost of £222,250. This information was obtained from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool system.
	For secondary care, information is not available at CCG level. National level data indicates most usage to be within primary care.

NHS

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a card to establish the right to use NHS services.

Jane Ellison: The Department will respond to the recent consultation “Sustaining services, ensuring fairness” very shortly, including plans on an improved system to identify chargeable patients and those eligible to use the national health service without charge.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many walk-in centres there were in each of the last four years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not held by the Department.
	Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning walk-in-centres (WiCs) based on an assessment of local need.
	There has never been an agreed definition of a walk-in centre. This term is sometimes used interchangeably with terms such as ‘Minor Injuries Unit’ and ‘Urgent Care Centre’.
	Information on WiCs which are classified as a type of accident and emergency (A&E) department is already collected as part of the existing A&E returns although others are commissioned locally and do not currently submit central returns.

NHS: Compensation

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place to enable individuals to seek compensation for harmful effects of pharmaceutical products and medical devices.

Norman Lamb: While the Government has every sympathy with patients who believe they have been adversely affected by pharmaceutical products or medical devices, any claims for compensation are for the legal system to determine.

NHS: Drugs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) cancer and (b) other medicines appraised through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Single Technology Appraisals process have been (i) recommended, (ii) restricted and (iii) not recommended for use in the NHS in each year since Single Technology Appraisals were introduced;
	(2)  how many cancer medicines have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use in the NHS in 2013 to date.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 Cancer drug Single Technology Appraisal (STA) recommendations(1) 
			  Recommended Optimised Not recommended Only in research 
			 2006 3 — 1 — 
		
	
	
		
			 2007 2 — 2 — 
			 2008 2 1 1 — 
			 2009 6 1 1 — 
			 2010 4 2 4 2 
			 2011 5 — 5 — 
			 2012 4 — 3 — 
			 2013 — — 5 — 
			 Total 26 4 22 2 
			 (1) This has been provided according to NICE's classification of appraisal decisions. NICE categorises a recommendation as optimised when it has a material effect on the use of a drug or technology, and it is recommended for a smaller subset of patients than originally stated by the marketing authorisation. This test of materiality takes into account advice from clinical experts on the anticipated use of the technology in routine clinical practice. Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-cancer drug STA recommendations(1) 
			  Recommended Optimised Not recommended Only in research 
			 2007 5 1 — — 
			 2008 5 1 3 — 
			 2009 5 — — — 
			 2010 2 6 3 — 
			 2011 9 3 3 — 
			 2012 13 1 — 1 
			 2013 7 7 3 1 
			 Total 46 19 12 2 
			 (1) This has been provided according to NICE's classification of appraisal decisions. NICE categorises a recommendation as optimised when it has a material effect on the use of a drug or technology, and it is recommended for a smaller subset of patients than originally stated by the marketing authorisation. This test of materiality takes into account advice from clinical experts on the anticipated use of the technology in routine clinical practice. Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

NHS: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of funding was for (a) cancer and (b) stroke and heart patients in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: Revenue allocations are currently made to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) by NHS England on the basis of a weighted capitation formula used to determine CCG's target shares of available resources. It is for CCGs to decide how to best use the funding allocated to them, underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs. Prior to 1 April 2013, the national health service allocated funding to primary care trusts, which also decided at a local level how best to use this funding.

NHS: Negligence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many negligence complaints there were against the NHS in each of the last three years; and what the cost was of such claims to the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold information centrally about the number of negligence complaints against the national health service.

NHS: Per Capita Costs

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding NHS England allocated per person for health services in (a) Stafford constituency and (b) each clinical commissioning group in England for (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

Daniel Poulter: Funding is not allocated on the basis of parliamentary constituencies. In 2012-13 funding was allocated to primary care trusts. South Staffordshire primary care trust received recurrent funding of £920,772,000. This is equivalent to £1,527 per person, compared to the England average of £1,652, based on population projections prepared by the Office for National Statistics.
	In 2013-14 funding was allocated to clinical commissioning groups. Funding levels are not directly comparable to funding provided to primary care trusts in 2012-13 due to differences in commissioning responsibilities between primary care trusts and clinical commissioning groups. However, on a like-for-like basis, all clinical commissioning groups received an increase in funding of 2.3% in 2013-14 compared to 2012-13.
	In 2013-14 NHS Stafford and Surrounds clinical commissioning group received recurrent funding of £154,272,000. This equates to £1,067 per person, compared to the England average of £1,137 per person, based on registered clinical commissioning group populations.
	Allocations per head for each primary care trust in England in 2012-13 and each clinical commissioning group in 2013-14 have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Redundancy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff have been made redundant and subsequently re-employed by NHS organisations on a (a) permanent basis and (b) fixed-term contract basis since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: By reducing managers and administrators by almost 23,000, we are freeing up extra resources for patient care—£5.5 billion in this Parliament and £1.5 billion every year thereafter.
	The number of national health service staff estimated to have been made redundant since May 2010 and subsequently, up until July 2013, re-employed by an NHS organisation on a permanent basis is 2,025 and a fixed term contract basis is 1,175.
	These estimates are derived from unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse, and so only cover redundancies from, and re-employment to, those organisation that use ESR.

NHS: Standards

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS Trusts have failed to meet their referral to treatment targets since May 2010; and in what months each such failure occurred.

Jane Ellison: The information requested has been placed in the Library. It shows performance for all national health service trusts and NHS Foundation trusts in England against the referral to treatment consultant-led waiting times standards that:
	90% of admitted patients and 95% of non-admitted patients should start treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral; and
	(from 1 April 2012) 92% of patients on incomplete pathways should have been waiting no more than 18 weeks from referral.
	Trusts who have not met the operational standards are highlighted in red.

Nurses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed in the NHS in May (a) 2010 and (b) 2013.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly work force statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff working in the NHS in England. In May 2010 there were 310,793 full-time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff working in the NHS in England and in May 2013 there were 307,634 full-time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the NHS.
	The changing nature of organisations that provide NHS services as part of Transforming Community Services may impact on the overall totals as a greater number of third party providers external to the NHS are excluded from the figures.

Prostate Cancer

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he expects the effect on the NHS to be of the development of a prostate cancer test which will distinguish between slow growing and more aggressive forms of the condition.

Jane Ellison: We would welcome any new clinically and cost-effective test that could accurately distinguish between slow growing and aggressive prostate cancers. There is currently no clinical consensus on which is the best treatment for men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer. A test that could distinguish between slow growing and aggressive prostate cancers would give more support to clinicians in recommending the most appropriate course of treatment to their patients, and support to men in making an informed choice about the best form of treatment for them.
	The National Institute for Health Research funded ProtecT trial (Prostate testing for cancer and Treatment) is the biggest publicly funded clinical trial ever to take place in this country. The overall aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of treatments for men with localised prostate cancer, comparing three treatments: active monitoring, radical prostatectomy and radical radiotherapy. The study is expected to report in July 2014 at a total cost of over £34 million.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when NHS England will introduce a tariff for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England and Monitor have recently consulted on their plans for the 2014-15 national tariff payment system, which aim to limit uncertainty in the system by making few changes to the detail of national prices. They will therefore not be introducing a mandatory price for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in 2014-15. This activity will continue to be subject to local negotiation on price.
	NHS England and Monitor will announce their plans for the payment system beyond 2014-15 in due course.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: 79 civil servants have been recruited on fixed-term appointments since May 2010. Of that number 35 were employed on a short-term basis, that is, for periods of less than one year.

School Milk

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of ongoing management costs incurred by his Department under a national contract for the administration of the Nursery Milk Scheme.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has a contract with Multi Resource Marketing Ltd (MRM) to act as the Nursery Milk Reimbursement Unit for the Nursery Milk Scheme. As the Nursery Milk Reimbursement Unit, MRM administers the Nursery Milk Scheme to meet the Secretary of State's statutory obligation to reimburse child care providers for the cost of providing daily milk to eligible children under five years old in Great Britain.
	The 2013-14 contract for the reimbursement of nursery milk is for £448,063.61. This represents 0.64% of the total budget for nursery milk and includes £248,063.61 for the validation of nursery milk claims. We expect the total, ongoing, cost to reduce in future years due to the introduction of a more streamlined and much lower cost system for validating claims under the scheme.

School Milk

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with representatives of the dairy industry on future options for the Nursery Milk Scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of (a) the costs of a new national procurement process for the Nursery Milk Scheme and (b) the costs to business of the adoption of an e-voucher scheme for providing nursery milk.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has set out possible options for the operation of the Nursery Milk scheme, in its consultation: ‘Next Steps for Nursery Milk’, published in 2012. An impact assessment which included the costs of a new national procurement process for the Nursery Milk scheme and the costs to business of the adoption of an e-voucher scheme for providing nursery milk was published at the same time. A copy of the consultation document has already been placed in the Library.
	As part of the consultation process we engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including parents, child care providers and milk producers. We also engaged specifically with representatives of the dairy industry and local government to seek their views on how they might be affected by the options proposed in the consultation.
	A decision on the future operation of the Nursery Milk scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the final impact assessment, the consultation responses and other relevant information.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

Daniel Poulter: Departmental Ministers have not held discussions with the Scottish Government regarding its White Paper on Independence.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Daniel Poulter: The Department books conference facilities through conference facility providers and according to our records we have only made one booking for an event at Sunningdale Park since May 2010. This was for a meeting of the Departments senior team to consider the future strategy of the Department on the 11 and 12 October 2012, at a total cost of £1,800 (including VAT).

EDUCATION

Carers' Rights

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on how rights to assessment for people caring for disabled children can be strengthened in line with the rights of other carers.

Edward Timpson: The Minister for Care and Support and I have had discussions on the subject in the context of both the Care Bill and the Children and Families Bill. We are satisfied that there is a strong framework of support in place for parent-carers of disabled children. There already exists legislation to assess parent-carers' needs within the Children Act 1989 in so far as it meets the needs of individual children in need. Local authorities can provide services to the family members of a child in need with a view to safeguarding or promoting the child's welfare. Unlike for young carers, where the Government has tabled an amendment to the Children and Families Bill, there is a lack of evidence for the need to change the way support is provided. Amending the Children Act 1989 to assess the needs of parent-carers separately from children would risk the needs of the children becoming second to those of their parent.
	Government has invested significantly in support for parent-carers of disabled children.
	This includes committing over £800 million for local authorities to invest in short breaks for disabled children between April 2011 and March 2015 through unringfenced grants, backed by new duties introduced in 2011. The reforms outlined in the Children and Families Bill, along with wider reforms in education and health, will strengthen the current system further for children and young people with SEN, including those who are disabled, and give much greater, more joined-up support to parent-carers.

Full-face Veils

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on allowing (a) teachers, (b) pupils and (c) parents to wear full-face veils on school premises.

Michael Gove: This is a matter for schools. We support religious tolerance and freedom of expression. Women should have the freedom to choose what to wear. However, there clearly will be circumstances in which covering the face will be inappropriate, so schools should be free to set their own policies. There should be a common sense balance, which takes into account civil liberties and freedom of religion.
	The use of full face veils by school staff is very much an issue for the employer, whether that is the governing body or the local authority. As part of the general terms and conditions of employment agreed with employees, employers should consider an appropriate dress code, relevant to the individual setting, taking into account the requirements of the post and equality and diversity considerations.
	It is for schools to determine their uniform policies. They are best placed to balance the rights of individual pupils against the best interests of the school community as a whole. In thinking about the needs of individual pupils they should consider their religion or belief, ethnicity, disability or other special considerations. The Department recently issued clear guidance to schools on setting a uniform policy which encourages schools to think about policies which promote good behaviour and discipline.
	Likewise, it is for schools to determine any requirements they have for visitors to the school, including parents. Again, schools would need to be mindful of their responsibilities under equality law.

Summer-born Children

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what monitoring his Department is carrying out of the implementation of its new advice on the admission of summer-born children.

Elizabeth Truss: Following recent complaints about the difficulties faced by summer-born children in the admissions process, the Department worked with Bliss, the charity for premature babies, and a small group of parents to produce the advice on the admission of summer-born children that was published on 29 July this year. We expect this advice will inform the allocation and offer of school places for 2014.
	We will continue to monitor correspondence on this issue and to work with Bliss and our partners on the Admissions Group to assess the impact of the advice and decide whether the nature of future complaints warrant further action from the Department to ensure that admission authorities do make appropriate use of the flexibility available to them when considering parental requests to vary the school starting age for summer-born children.

Primary Schools: Child Care

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparative assessment he has made of the proportion of primary schools offering wrap-around child care services (a) in May 2010 and (b)now.

Elizabeth Truss: Estimates from the Childcare and Early Years Providers' Survey show that between 2010 and 2011, there was a 5% increase in the number of after school clubs, with the total being 10,000 in 2011—the most recent figure available.
	Many parents still find that the high cost and inflexibility of child care is a barrier to working or increasing their hours. We need more schools to be offering 8am to 6pm and holiday care, and the Government is making it easier for them to do so, either themselves or in partnership with providers.

School Facilities: Community Use

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage schools to make their facilities available for community use outside school hours.

Elizabeth Truss: Out-of-hours and holiday child care provided by schools as community services have an important role to play in increasing the amount of affordable and flexible care. We need more schools to be offering this sort of community facility.
	The Government is removing unnecessary red tape, increasing freedoms, and helping schools to understand how to provide community facilities.
	For example, we are aligning staffing and qualification requirements with the school day; removing the need for schools to consult when introducing community facilities, or have regard to guidance from the Secretary of State or local authorities; clarifying the rules on charging for community facilities; and helping schools to learn from those who have done it successfully.

Sure Start Centres

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for Sure Start children's centres.

Elizabeth Truss: We have made available sufficient funding to maintain a network of children's centres and, earlier this year, issued revised statutory guidance to ensure that children's centres meet their new core purpose, to improve outcomes for the most disadvantaged families and children.
	Local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure they have sufficient children's centres to meet local need and are examining their provision to ensure that services are being delivered efficiently and effectively. In doing so, they are identifying ways of retaining a network that is accessible to all but focused on making a real difference to those most in need.

Free Schools

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on oversight of free schools.

Michael Gove: Free schools and academies are held more rigorously to account than any other schools.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the minimum standard for quality in a free school is before that school is deemed by his Department to be failing.

Edward Timpson: The Department deems free schools to be failing in the same way it deems all schools (whether maintained or not) to be failing: if they receive an Ofsted judgment of ‘inadequate’ and special measures are required to be taken in relation to the school, or it requires significant improvement, or if there is sustained underperformance.
	The circumstances in which the Secretary of State for Education can intervene in any individual underperforming free school or academy are set out in the funding agreement between the academy trust running the school and the Secretary of State. Free school and academy funding agreements are published on the Department for Education's website(1) as a matter of course once the school has opened.
	(1)http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what length of time his Department gives a failing free school before it is (a) forced to close and (b) taken over by new leadership;
	(2)  what steps his Department takes to improve a failing free school.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education is responsible for ensuring that underperforming free schools take action to raise standards. In deciding how to respond to underperformance, he will consider whether the free school demonstrates that they have the capacity to take the necessary action.
	Each free school is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The Department can provide schools with support from education advisers, or recommend partnership with a stronger organisation, or access to external expertise, where these are likely to prove beneficial. However, the Secretary of State will not tolerate failure and in extreme cases will intervene to bring about a change in leadership or force the free school to close. The Secretary of State's powers to intervene in any particular academy or free school are specified in the funding agreement between the Secretary of State and the academy trust running the school. Free school and academy funding agreements are published on the Department for Education's website(1) once the school has opened.
	(1) http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who is responsible for buying out existing contracts at a failed free school.

Edward Timpson: All academies, including free schools, are responsible for fulfilling their contractual obligations.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the framework for the monitoring visits of free schools carried out by his Department in their first year of operation; and who is responsible for resourcing improvements required.

Edward Timpson: The framework for monitoring free schools is based on the Ofsted monitoring framework, which is published on the Ofsted website.
	All free schools receive a visit from an education adviser in their first term to assess progress since opening, with follow up monitoring in terms two and three where required. The education advisers report back any issues to the Department.
	Where education advisers identify areas for improvement during the monitoring visit, these are raised with the relevant school's Trust and it is the Trust's responsibility to resolve any issues.

Curriculum

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how he proposes to respond to the Youth Select Committee report on a curriculum for life;
	(2)  what evidence was submitted by his Department as part of the call for evidence by the Youth Select Committee on its report on a curriculum for life.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department welcomes the work of the committee. We agree that schools have a fundamental role in equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. We will publish our response to the recommendations in due course.
	The Department presented written evidence on 4 June, which is available on the British Youth Council website(1). In addition, one of the Department's senior officials gave evidence to the committee on 5 July and responded to questions at the launch event.
	(1)http://www.byc.org.uk/uk-work/youth-select-committee/submitted-evidence.aspx

Health Education: Drugs

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has issued to schools regarding education on the effects of legal highs; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Effective education is essential in tackling drug and alcohol misuse. Pupils will learn about the effects of drugs on their bodies as part of the new science national curriculum at key stages 2 and 3, which will be taught in schools from September 2014. Teachers can also cover the issue through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE), drawing on specialist resources. For example, the PSHE Association has issued a revised programme of study which includes references to drug education(1), and the new drug and alcohol information and advice service for practitioners, delivered by Mentor UK, provides accurate, up-to-date information and resources(2).
	The Home Office ran communication activity from July to October this year, targeted at 13 to 19-year-olds contemplating using legal highs. The activity used online and radio channels to raise awareness of the risks and harms of legal highs, directing the audience to
	www.talktofrank.com
	to find out more. In addition to this, the Home Office offers partners literature, which includes information on legal highs, to distribute among young people.
	(1) http://www.pshe-association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1004
	(2 )http://mentor-adepis.org/

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  when he was first informed of allegations of financial irregularities at Kings Science Academy, Bradford;
	(2)  what role any Minister in his Department played in the decision to refer the internal audit report into Kings Science Academy, Bradford to the police for their information only;
	(3)  for what reasons the police were notified of the internal audit report into Kings Science Academy, Bradford for information only and not for criminal investigation;
	(4)  whether the internal audit into financial irregularities at Kings Science Academy, Bradford, reviewed whether a fair rent had been agreed by the school for the lease of land from a company owned by Mr Alan Lewis;
	(5)  when he first (a) received and (b) read the departmental internal audit report on Kings Science Academy, Bradford.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is kept fully briefed on all important issues at free schools and academies. The Secretary of State was made aware at the time that an investigation had taken place and was informed of the actions arising from that investigation when it was completed in April 2013.
	Information arising from the investigation report was referred to Action Fraud on 25 April 2013. The Department followed all correct procedures in reporting this incident. Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for an administrative error on their part, which saw the case filed as an information report rather than a crime report. The Department was informed of this error by Action Fraud on 1 November.
	The investigation was into financial irregularities at the academy and the fairness of the lease arrangements was not within its scope. Advice had been sought prior to opening on the lease arrangements. This confirmed, on the basis of property search work and the due diligence exercises carried out, that the lease offered value for money.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Kings Science Academy, Bradford received an independent valuation before awarding a contract for lease of land from a company owned by Mr Alan Lewis.

Edward Timpson: The Department commissioned and received an independent valuation of the Northside Business Park in Bradford, on behalf of the Kings Science Academy Trust. Such valuations are obtained before proceeding with any site purchase or entering into a commercial lease arrangement.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  for what reasons his Department did not enquire for at least six months about the progress of a police investigation into fraud allegations at Kings Science Academy, Bradford, referred to Action Fraud by his Department in April 2013;
	(2)  what role the Principal of Kings Science Academy, Bradford had in the appointment of (a) Dr Waheed Hussain and (b) other governors of the school.

Edward Timpson: The matter was referred to Action Fraud on 25 April 2013. The Department contacted Action Fraud just over four months later to inquire about progress, on 5 September. Action Fraud then wrote to the Department to state that the case had been passed to the National Fraud Investigation Bureau, who had assessed the case and determined there should be no further action. On 1 November a call was received from Action Fraud in which they apologised, stating that they had wrongly categorised the case. A police investigation is consequently now under way.
	As part of the application process we ask free school proposers to set up an academy trust, a charitable company, limited by guarantee, which will run the school. To set up an academy trust proposers need to identify at least one member and three directors. They then build up their governing body and membership through pre-opening, to ensure a sufficiently broad mix of skills and experience. The governing body appoints the Principal. Companies House holds the incorporation documents for Kifsa Ltd, the trust behind Kings Science, confirming its founding member as Sajid Hussain, and its three founding directors as Waheed Hussain, Sajid Hussain and Nadim Qureshi.

Playgrounds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been spent on the playground building programme in each year since its inception.

David Laws: Between 2008 and 2010 the Department for Education's three-year play investment strategy allocated capital funding to local authorities in England for them to run local programmes, as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 25 
			 2009-10 100 
			 2010-11 54.2 
		
	
	Local authorities, other local agencies and the Big Lottery fund also invested their own funding in local playground projects in this period, though we do not hold this information centrally.

Schools

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average number of hours per week devoted to (a) personal and social learning, (b) history, (c) music and (d) religious education was in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in each of the last 30 years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Schools Workforce Census, which was introduced in 2010, records the total numbers of hours taught for these subjects in secondary education (years seven to 13) in a typical week.(1)
	Before this time, Secondary Schools Staffing and Curriculum Surveys were carried out at five yearly intervals but information on taught time was not recorded in numbers of hours.
	Figures are not collected for the numbers of hours taught for specific subjects in primary schools.
	(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2011
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional

Schools: Construction

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have cancelled plans for upgrading in each region since May 2010.

David Laws: We do not collect information from schools on their plans to undertake upgrade work and do not, therefore, hold any detail on those plans that may have subsequently been cancelled. The Department does, however, administer a number of capital programmes centrally and I can confirm that two schools, one in Middlesbrough and one in Stoke-on-Trent, cancelled their plans to use funding allocated to them from the Department's Academies Capital Maintenance Fund.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) policies and (b) statutory obligations each school governing body is required to keep under review. [R]

Edward Timpson: The policies and statutory obligations on school governing bodies vary depending on the legal status and characteristics of the school. A list of the policies and other documents that different types of schools are required to have by law is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/toolsandinitiatives/cuttingburdens/a00201669/statutory-policies-for-schools
	In addition, The Governors' Handbook, published in May this year, provides governing bodies with all the essential information they need to fulfil their role.

Schools: Playing Fields

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Coventry South of 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 550W, on schools: playing fields, if he will publish the title of the document, including the page reference, from which the figure of 2,540 was drawn.

David Laws: As stated in the answer of 6 September, these figures were produced by Fields in Trust, formerly the National Playing Fields Association, in 2005 and were widely reported at the time.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department cannot access this information directly from its accounting system and providing it would incur disproportionate costs.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) number of absent mothers and (b) proportion of such mothers who pay their child's maintenance.

Steve Webb: As at June 2013, the total CSA live and assessed caseload where the non resident parent is female was 52,200. A liability to pay maintenance exists in 36,600 of these cases. Of the 36,600 liable cases, some maintenance was paid in the quarter in 29,200 (80%) cases.

Cold Weather Payments

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the variations in local temperatures as a result of differing topography in relation to the cold weather payment.

Steve Webb: The linking of weather stations to specified postcodes is based on expert advice from the Met Office. Linkages are reviewed annually to ensure that stations are as representative as possible of the conditions in the areas they cover.
	In making its recommendations the Met Office examines the Geographic Information System database showing topography, postcode areas, weather stations, built-up areas and 1 km-gridded winter mean air temperature for 1981 to 2010, i.e. the latest 30 year measurement of winter mean temperature used to calculate various weather parameters.
	It is not feasible for the cold weather payment scheme to reflect precisely all local temperature variations, and the variable terrain in the UK makes weather station selection complex. The aim therefore is to achieve sensible national coverage with a reasonable level of local sensitivity.

Cold Weather Payments: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the need for a weather station in Arfon to better record local temperatures in relation to the cold weather payment.

Steve Webb: The cold weather scheme is reviewed after the end of each winter season (31 March). Expert advice is sought from the Met Office and changes made where appropriate before the start of the next winter period. As well as reviewing the structural parts of the scheme, we also consider representations made during the previous winter about the suitability of individual weather stations and the links with postcode districts. We will be reviewing the coverage of weather stations in consultation with the Met Office again in the summer. Individual Members' comments, such as whether there is a need for a weather station at Arfon, will form part of that review. Following completion of the review, Members will be informed of the outcome separately, in writing.

Disability Living Allowance

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people with multiple sclerosis currently accessing the Motability Scheme are in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance; and how many such people lease a (a) car, (b) scooter and (c) powered wheelchair;
	(2)  how many people with multiple sclerosis are currently accessing the Motability Scheme.

Michael Penning: As at February 2013(1), there, were 1,791,730 recipients of the higher rate mobility component of DLA and 62,650 of these recipients had listed multiple sclerosis as their main disabling condition. Information on how many of the 62,650 recipients have chosen to transfer their higher rate mobility component to Motability is not routinely collated by the Department and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
	(1) Latest available DWP data

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on giving claimants a choice between remaining on the higher rate mobility of disability living allowance and taking responsibility for attending all NHS medical appointments personally and not having this allowance and giving this responsibility to the NHS.

Michael Penning: Recipients of disability living allowance are free to use their benefit, including any amount of the higher rate mobility component awarded, according to their own priorities. Recipients may additionally be entitled to help with their travel costs under NHS health care travel costs schemes depending on their, or their partner's, income or savings.

Future Jobs Fund: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people were placed on the Future Jobs Fund programme in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each month of that programme's existence.

Esther McVey: The number of individuals starting a Future Jobs Fund placement in Vale of Clwyd constituency is provided as follows:
	
		
			  FJF starts 
			 November 2009 10 
			 December 2009 — 
			 January 2010 30 
			 February 2010 20 
			 March 2010 30 
			 April 2010 30 
			 May 2010 40 
			 June 2010 40 
			 July 2010 30 
			 August 2010 20 
			 September 2010 20 
			 October 2010 40 
			 November 2010 40 
			 December 2010 20 
			 January 2011 30 
			 February 2011 30 
			 March 2011 40 
			 April 2011 10 
			 May 2011 10 
			 Total 500 
			 Notes: 1. Due to data protection protocols, vales less than 10 are suppressed and marked with a dash to avoid unnecessary disclosure. Additionally, any figures above 10 are rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding, totals may not be the sum of individual cells. 2. Months are calendar months Source: DWP LMS opportunities evaluation dataset (November 2010).

Jobseeker's Allowance

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sanctions have been issued to jobseeker's allowance claimants in each of the last 12 months.

Esther McVey: From 22 October 2012, new regulations introduced a regime of fixed period sanctions, which replaced the existing sanction rules and moved claimants closer to the sanction regime planned for universal credit in 2013. These data, up to June 2013, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203439/tab-tool-guidance.pdf

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 794W, on jobseeker's allowance, what (a) number and (b) proportion of unemployed people have been signposted to local voluntary and community sector organisations by his Department by (i) region and (ii) parliamentary constituency.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people there were on jobseeker's allowance for 12 months or more in each constituency in Wales in each month since May 2010.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of JSA claimants, by geography, duration and month can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average time is between receipt of a new completed claim form for personal independence payment and a first decision being notified to the claimant;
	(2)  what the longest waiting time has been between the submission of a successful new claim for personal independence payment and the receipt of the first payment;
	(3)  what the average waiting time is from receipt of a successful completed new claim for personal independence payment until receipt of the first such payment.

Michael Penning: Personal independence payment started from April 2013 and although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured, meaningful figures for publication. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish official statistics on personal independence payment from spring 2014.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's expenditure plans of the delay in the national rollout of the personal independence payment; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: As is the case after each fiscal event, updated expenditure forecasts, including for personal independence payment and disability living allowance, will be published on
	www.gov.uk
	following the autumn statement.

Separated People: Finance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2013, Official Report, columns 618-9W, on separated people: finance, when each of the seven voluntary and third-sector projects established in March 2013 under the Help and Support for Separated Families Innovation Fund will start working with customers directly.

Steve Webb: The start dates for working directly with customers vary for the seven projects established in March 2013 under the Help and Support for Separated Families Innovation Fund.
	The projects by Malachi, Resolve Cymru, Spurgeons and Howells started working with clients in April 2013. The Resolution project began working with clients in three sites, Crewe in April, Newcastle in May and Oxford in June 2013. The digital projects to be delivered by Relate and OnePlusOne are due to commence working directly with customers in December 2013.

Sick Leave: Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual cost of depression to the UK economy in terms of lost days at work and reduced productivity.

Michael Penning: The data are not available to calculate the annual cost of depression to the UK economy.
	We acknowledge however that employment rates for people with depression, anxiety and other common mental health problems are relatively low. This is why the Government is exploring new integrated approaches across the mental health and employment system. We are currently working on a range of measures to support people with mental health problems to remain in and return to work. This includes improving access to talking therapies for people who are out of work, and the introduction of a new health and work assessment and advisory service from late 2014 which will make occupational health expertise more widely available to those employees and employers who need it most.

Sick Leave: Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days were lost due to stress-related illnesses in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: Data are not captured at a sufficiently detailed enough level to determine the number of working days lost each year due to stress related conditions.
	We acknowledge however that employment rates for people with depression, anxiety and other common mental health problems are relatively low. This is why the Government is exploring new integrated approaches across the mental health and employment system. We are currently working on a range of measures to support people with mental health problems to remain in and return to work. This includes improving access to talking therapies for people who are out of work and the introduction of a new health and work assessment and advisory service in late 2014 which will make occupational health expertise more widely available to those employees and employers who need it most.

Social Security Benefits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefit monies remain unclaimed for (a) the UK and (b) each region of the UK.

Esther McVey: On 23 February 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report ‘Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up in 2009-10’ which contained the latest estimates of the total amount of the main income-related benefits in Great Britain estimated to have been left unclaimed. The benefits covered are income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based).
	The full report can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up
	The next report, for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 combined, is expected to be published in summer 2014.
	Matters of social security in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Statistics produced by Northern Ireland on unclaimed benefits are available here:
	http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/statistics_and_research-take_up
	Estimates of take-up are not sufficiently robust to present below the level of Great Britain.

Social Security Benefits

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average (a) weekly and (b) monthly value is of (A) an education support allowance, (B) a jobseeker's allowance and (C) an income support claim.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance and income support claimants and average weekly amounts in payment can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203439/tab-tool-guidance.pdf
	Information on educational support allowance is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-to-end-the-education-maintenance-allowance-ema-programme

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming (a) employment and support allowance, (b) income support and (c) incapacity benefit were engaged in permitted work in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2011, (v) 2012 and (vi) January to October 2013.

Esther McVey: Detailed Information on supported permitted work is not available for employment and support allowance (ESA) and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The latest available information for claimants of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants with supported permitted work, Great Britain, time series 
			 IB/SDA claimants engaged in permitted work 
			  Number 
			 February 2008 49,300 
			 February 2009 48,100 
			 February 2010 44,800 
			 February 2011 42,500 
			 February 2012 34,500 
			 February 2013 20,900 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been produced using the 5% sample data and have been rated up proportionately using the Great Britain WPLS 100% IB/SDA totals. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Information on permitted work is not collected on the Income Support data. The information in the table however will include those who are receiving both IB/SDA and income support. 4. Permitted Work Categories (current rates): Permitted Work Lower Level (Up to £20 pw for unlimited period) Supported Permitted Work (Up to £99.50 pw for unlimited period (*supported)) Permitted Work Higher Limit (Up to £99.50 pw and < 16 hours for up to 26 weeks) Permitted Work Higher Level Subsequent (PWHL after 52 week gap (*supported)) The support must be given by a person employed by a public or local authority or voluntary organisation. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/incapacity-benefit Source: DWP, Information Governance and Security Directory, 5% Samples. 
		
	
	It should be noted that the number of people in receipt of IB/SDA has reduced steadily since we began reassessing people for ESA in 2011.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Michael Penning: Following a review of learning and development across Government the National School of Government, which delivered training on the Sunningdale Park site, closed in March 2012. Information such as dates on which individuals may have used the site or what events have been held there, has not been retained.

Universal Credit

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions the ministerial oversight group for universal credit has met in the last 12 months; and when that group is scheduled to meet again.

Esther McVey: The Ministerial Oversight Group for Universal Credit has met on 10 occasions in the last 12 months and will meet again before Christmas.

Universal Credit

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what amounts have been paid to date to each (a) IT service provider and (b) consultant in relation to the universal credit programme.

Esther McVey: The information is as follows:
	(a) The amounts that have been paid to each IT service provider are contained within the NAO report: Universal Credit: Early progress, HC 621, published on 5 September 2013.
	(b) The total cost of the consultants employed on the Universal Credit programme in each of the last three years is as follows:
	£5.6 million in 2011-12; and
	£3.2 million in 2012-13.
	There was no consultancy expenditure in 2010-11 recorded against the Universal Credit programme.

Universal Credit

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to use staff who process housing benefit for district and unitary councils to process universal credit;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with Ministers and officials in other departments regarding the effect of the introduction of universal credit with regard to (a) staffing levels at local authorities which currently process housing benefit, (b) redundancy costs for those staff and (c) whether those staff could process universal credit.

Esther McVey: The closure of existing benefits and credits will have a significant impact on those organisations and staff delivering current services. Local authorities will continue to have a key role, with a significant number of welfare reform relying on local authority delivery and/or support. We will continue to consult local authorities in reaching further decisions on the design and delivery of universal credit.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the number of people who have committed suicide just (a) after and (b) before a work capability assessment.

Michael Penning: The information requested is not available.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of successful appeals have been made against work capability decisions in each (a) local authority area, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) of his Department's areas.

Esther McVey: The number of successful appeals made against work capability decisions in each Region can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of Fit for Work decisions and outcomes of appeals heard against Fit for Work decisions at initial WCA for new ESA claims: October 2008 to May 2012 
			   Outcome of appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions 
			 Region Total caseload with a Fit for work decision (a) Caseload for Initial decision overturned (b) Caseload for Initial decision upheld (c) Proportion of all Fit for Work decisions overturned (b/a) % Proportion of Fit for Work appeals heard decisions overturned (b/b+c) % 
			 Great Britain 846,500 123,900 208,500 15 37 
			 East Midlands 53,800 6,300 10,700 12 37 
			 East of England 55,000 6,100 11,200 11 35 
			 London 108,000 20,100 25,000 19 44 
			 North East 62,400 11,000 19,000 18 37 
			 North West 123,700 14,500 33,600 12 30 
			 South East 65,100 10,600 12,400 16 46 
			 South West 53,800 8,200 11,700 15 41 
			 West Midlands 84,800 10,500 22,700 12 32 
			 Yorkshire and the and Humber 80,400 9,000 18,700 11 33 
			 Scotland 102,000 18,500 27,900 18 40 
			 Wales 57,400 9,100 15,500 16 37 
			 "*" indicates a nil or negligible value. Notes: 1. Figures are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Data on appeals includes ESA claims up to the end of May 2012 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be Fit for Work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 3. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage. 4. Information on appeals against repeat assessment, incapacity benefit reassessment and Work Related Activity Group outcomes are not included. 5. Region: Formerly known as Government Office Regions. Source: Department for Work and Pensions benefit administration dataset 
		
	
	The information requested for local authority and parliamentary constituency are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many terminally ill people who were expected to live between six and 12 months and were tested for work capability by Atos have been declared fit for work to date; how many such people appealed the decision; and how many such appeals were successful.

Michael Penning: This information is not available.
	However, terminally ill claimants will not need to undergo a face-to-face assessment; and will be, as defined within legislation, placed in the Support Group.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department measures Work programme customer satisfaction.

Esther McVey: To ensure that providers are delivering the minimum standard of service they promise for each participant, the Department conducts a monthly survey of a sample of claimants from each contract, requiring providers to rectify any shortcomings identified. The Department also requires providers to collate and submit monthly returns on the number and nature of complaints raised by customers. These form part of Work programme quality monitoring.

Work Programme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the performance of the Work programme in (a) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (b) North Wales.

Esther McVey: Assessment has not been made of individual geographic areas of Wales.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

Nicholas Clegg: I have not held any discussions with the Scottish Government regarding its White Paper on Independence.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how often his Office has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Males

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent steps she has taken to ensure that men fulfil their potential.

Helen Grant: ‘Building a Fairer Britain’, published in December 2010, set out Government's equality strategy, focusing on the principles of equal treatment and equal opportunity. The Children and Families Bill 2013 will extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, removing a significant barrier for men in the workplace, and introduce a new system of shared parental leave which will enable working fathers to take a more active role in caring for their children.

Publications

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will publish a list of all independent reports commissioned by (a) Ministers in the Government Equalities Office and (b) the Permanent Secretary of her Office since May 2010.

Helen Grant: GEO has commissioned seven independent reports in the period from May 2010 to November 2013. These are:
	Evaluation of the Implementation of the Equality Act 2010 (Centre for Research into Social Policy);
	Evaluation of the Equality Act 2010: Evidence Dossier (Equality and Diversity Forum);
	Voluntary gender equality reporting in organisations with 150 to 249 employees (Institute for Employment Studies);
	Body confidence rapid evidence assessment and research reports (NB Research);
	Body confidence academic reports;
	Women's Business Council report: Maximising women's contribution to future economic growth (Women's Business Council); and
	The independent Steering Group's report of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED steering group).
	Reports commissioned prior to May 2010 but published after this date have not been included. Similarly, reports towards which GEO makes a financial contribution but does not formally commission are excluded, as are reports formally commissioned by other Government Departments with the endorsement/involvement of GEO Ministers.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions (a) she and (b) her ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence.

Helen Grant: This Department’s Ministers have not held discussions with the Scottish Government regarding its White Paper on Independence.